offstage

[ awf-steyj, of- ]

adverb

1. off the stage or in the wings; away from the view of the audience ( onstage ).
2. in one's private life rather than on the stage:

   Offstage the actress seemed rather plain.

adjective

1. not in view of the audience; backstage, in the wings, etc.:

   an offstage crash.

2. withheld from public view or attention; private:

   offstage political meetings.

offstage

/ ˈɒfˈsteɪdʒ /

adjective

1. out of the view of the audience; off the stage

Word History and Origins

Origin of offstage¹

First recorded in 1920–25; off + stage

Example Sentences

The curious offstage character is the playwright, who was in college in New York at the time of his mother’s ordeal.

From Washington Post

Though few of these former Facebook employees have spoken as publicly and potently as Haugen has, many have sat just offstage for months, sometimes years, roiling over what they saw while working at Facebook.

From Washington Post

Miranda had stayed offstage when he put together his campus production of In the Heights at Wesleyan, but in 2002, Kail suggested he might as well play supporting character Usnavi.

From Vox

I look in the wings offstage, and Rip Taylor is laughing his ass off.

From Ozy

Ethiopia Habtemariam, the president of Motown Records, has spent the past year assisting her artists in navigating the painful reality of life offstage while retooling album-release plans.

From Time

He needed his art because, offstage, the chaos was sometimes too much.

From The Daily Beast

All these folks were full of gripping stories about their time with Pryor, since he created much drama offstage as well as on.

From The Daily Beast

And they never break character, even offstage—at least in front of the press.

From The Daily Beast

The agents of their slide were many, and they operated offstage.

From The Daily Beast

Just offstage, however, stands a nation of unemployed, abandoned and desperate people.

From The Daily Beast

He used even Johnny Simms as an offstage voice repeating stern commands.

From Project Gutenberg

And even if he found them, who would believe an actor offstage, delivering such improbable lines?

From Project Gutenberg

When Ophelia perishes offstage you don't think of post-mortem lividity or foam on the mouth.

From Project Gutenberg

"—caught red-handed with the incriminating papers," shouted an offstage announcer.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• unauthorized