off message
idiom
: saying things that do not agree with the official position of a political group or party
A few Cabinet members seem off message on government policy.
Examples of off message in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Vicente is known as an elegant leader with a brain for operations who never steps off message, but her abilities as a fundraiser raised questions, the sources say.
—
Matt Donnelly, Variety, 1 Apr. 2024
Driven not by ideals so much as by pain and anger, Norma McCorvey was prone to outbursts, and frequently off message.
—Marin Cogan, The New Republic, 11 Oct. 2021
Step off message and the vice president-elect could get frozen out.
—Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2020
Ed Espinoza, executive director of the liberal group Progress Texas, said O’Rourke would get off message.
—Dallas News, 23 Sep. 2022
In the days following the 48-14 loss to Syracuse, Jim Mora got off message, sounded too much like his predecessors.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 17 Sep. 2022
Don't let people get him off message.
—NBC News, 16 Jan. 2022
During his second of five rallies Monday, the president appeared upbeat and energized before a crowd of thousands in his Democratic opponent's hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, but veered off message to sow doubts about the upcoming election results.
—Caitlin Conant, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2020
This happens nearly every day when someone goes off message or does anything to undermine the dictates by the COP.
—Keith Kloor, Discover Magazine, 5 Mar. 2012
Matt Donnelly, Variety, 1 Apr. 2024
Driven not by ideals so much as by pain and anger, Norma McCorvey was prone to outbursts, and frequently off message.
—Marin Cogan, The New Republic, 11 Oct. 2021
Step off message and the vice president-elect could get frozen out.
—Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2020
Ed Espinoza, executive director of the liberal group Progress Texas, said O’Rourke would get off message.
—Dallas News, 23 Sep. 2022
In the days following the 48-14 loss to Syracuse, Jim Mora got off message, sounded too much like his predecessors.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 17 Sep. 2022
Don't let people get him off message.
—NBC News, 16 Jan. 2022
During his second of five rallies Monday, the president appeared upbeat and energized before a crowd of thousands in his Democratic opponent's hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, but veered off message to sow doubts about the upcoming election results.
—Caitlin Conant, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2020
This happens nearly every day when someone goes off message or does anything to undermine the dictates by the COP.
—Keith Kloor, Discover Magazine, 5 Mar. 2012
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'off message.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Off message.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/off%20message. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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