: not prepared in advance : spontaneous, informal
off-the-cuff remarks
off-the-cuff adverb

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web That is not necessarily, of course, what a player of Kvaratskhelia’s gifts — spontaneous, off-the-cuff, proudly improvisational — might be expected to want to hear, that he was being introduced not as a soloist but as part of an ensemble. Rory Smith, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2023 Musk also mentioned—seemingly off-the-cuff during the Q&A portion of the presentation—that the company has experimented in monkeys. IEEE Spectrum, 26 July 2019 Her radio show, streamed live on Facebook and TikTok most weekday afternoons, features a mix of music and off-the-cuff commentary in both Quechua and Spanish for a combined following of more than 180,000 people. Teo Armus, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2023

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'off-the-cuff.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

1936, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of off-the-cuff was in 1936

Dictionary Entries Near off-the-cuff

Cite this Entry

“Off-the-cuff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/off-the-cuff. Accessed 29 Mar. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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