off-the-record

Definition of off-the-recordnext

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of off-the-record The paper reported that Williamson and Wilkins never met, had one off-the-record phone call, and exchanged emails during the course of Williamson’s reporting. Staff Author, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026 Ars recently visited True Anomaly’s headquarters for an off-the-record tour, then sat down with Rogers to chat about the vision, risks, and rewards in True Anomaly’s orbit. Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 19 Mar. 2026 The 21-page agreement prohibits the gathering or publication of any information that is not authorized by the government, including declassified information and off-the-record conversations, whether obtained on or off Pentagon grounds. Gary Grumbach, NBC news, 5 Mar. 2026 Only days after announcing the formation of the Rockefeller Commission in January 1975, Ford accidentally shared at an off-the-record lunch with executives and editors from The New York Times that his concern about abuses involved assassinations. Tim Naftali, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for off-the-record
Recent Examples of Synonyms for off-the-record
Adjective
  • Rubio, who is also Trump’s national security adviser, was one of three U.S. officials to participate in a closed-door meeting with the Russian delegation on Friday in Alaska.
    Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 20 Aug. 2025
  • The revelation was made by House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY) after Barr testified in a closed-door interview during the House Oversight Committee’s investigation of the federal government’s handling of Epstein’s case.
    Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • In Disclosure Day, cybersecurity expert Daniel Kellner (O’Connor) steals files confirming alien contact from the Wardex Corporation, an off-the-books non-governmental organization.
    Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026
  • But statistics fail to convey the humanity of yard sales—the caprice, whimsy, and high spirits, as well as the cunning, weirdness, and heartbreak, that charge and thicken the air when two people agree to perform an off-the-books monetary transaction.
    Caity Weaver, The Atlantic, 12 June 2026
Adjective
  • In July 1971, Henry Kissinger, then national security adviser to President Richard Nixon, arrived in Beijing on his famous secret mission — the back-channel visit that helped re-open the door between two countries that had little direct contact for more than two decades.
    Xianda Huang, The Conversation, 16 May 2026
  • The messiness of a 13-year scientific undertaking, the back-channel negotiations, the philosophical disagreements, the institutional maneuvering — none of that fits neatly into an obituary.
    Zachary Utz, STAT, 15 May 2026
Adjective
  • The Kremlin said the offer was made via confidential channels; Ukrainian officials have not publicly discussed any such proposal.
    ABC News, ABC News, 3 July 2026
  • The Supreme Court on Thursday let stand a lower-court order that forces former Fox News reporter Catherine Herridge to either disclose a confidential source or pay $800 a day in court sanctions.
    Julian Mark, Washington Post, 2 July 2026
Adjective
  • That was a concern because other research has indicated the Chinese government has, at times, delayed public disclosure of vulnerabilities submitted to the program so they could later be used in clandestine cyberattacks.
    Thomas Brewster, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • The screening usually focusses on clandestine hanky-panky, but this season the girls’ irreverence was so abundant that the producers treated them to an unprecedented second viewing night.
    Lillian Fishman, New Yorker, 27 June 2026
Adjective
  • These cybercriminals are like the Hollywood movie character Jason Bourne, a highly surreptitious operative who avoids detection through diversion, disguises, deflecting and blending into the environment.
    Eric Herzog, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
  • Related Stories Known to be a rebellious royal and a surreptitious anti-fascist, Maria José then moved to Portugal and soon left her husband.
    Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 17 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Off-the-record.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/off-the-record. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

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