off the pace
idiom
US
: behind in a race, competition, etc.
The winner finished in 4 minutes, 30 seconds, and the next runner was three seconds off the pace.
Examples of off the pace in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Even Shelton, a two-time Grand Slam semifinalist who won his first ATP Masters 1000 title at an Alcaraz-and-Sinner-less Canadian Open last summer, didn’t kid himself about being far off the pace that the world’s two best players have set.
—
Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Hennessy was running in the lead pack until about halfway through the race, but then fell slightly off the pace.
—Brian Roach, Boston Herald, 14 Dec. 2025
Tsunoda's Red Bull frustrations have left the Japanese driver far off the pace of teammate Max Verstappen, though the team will only have so much patience with him.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
That number stood at 3.2 million in July, well off the pace of a few years ago and down more than 5% from the same period in 2024, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics figures.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for off the pace
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.
Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Hennessy was running in the lead pack until about halfway through the race, but then fell slightly off the pace.
—Brian Roach, Boston Herald, 14 Dec. 2025
Tsunoda's Red Bull frustrations have left the Japanese driver far off the pace of teammate Max Verstappen, though the team will only have so much patience with him.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
That number stood at 3.2 million in July, well off the pace of a few years ago and down more than 5% from the same period in 2024, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics figures.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for off the pace
Cite this Entry
“Off the pace.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/off%20the%20pace. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
