go off on a tangent
idiom
: to start talking about something that is only slightly or indirectly related to the original subject
She went off on a tangent about what happened to her last summer.
Examples of go off on a tangent in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Listen To The Consumer By not listening to customers and what the data shows, companies can potentially go off on a tangent.
—
Claire Stern, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2023
One of those trigger points was the subject of race in America, which saw Trump once again go off on a tangent that may have included a shot at Kim Kardashian West.
—Ineye Komonibo, refinery29.com, 25 Oct. 2020
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Claire Stern, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2023
One of those trigger points was the subject of race in America, which saw Trump once again go off on a tangent that may have included a shot at Kim Kardashian West.
—Ineye Komonibo, refinery29.com, 25 Oct. 2020
Dictionary Entries Near go off on a tangent
Cite this Entry
“Go off on a tangent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/go%20off%20on%20a%20tangent. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share