OFF-THE-BOOKS Synonyms: 52 Similar and Opposite Words

off-the-books

adjective

Definition of off-the-books

as in off-the-record

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Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of off-the-books 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 Jeff Shell, the former president of Paramount Skydance, has resolved litigation with a gambler who accused him of leaking confidential company information and who sought $150 million for off-the-books crisis PR work. — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 11 June 2026 Polk estimates that the majority of gamblers who don’t have other sources of income, such as sponsorships or social media channels, will either fail to turn a profit under the new rules or begin playing in more off-the-books games. — Ryan Ermey, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for off-the-books

Recent Examples of Synonyms for off-the-books

Adjective

In all, the on-the-record remarks lasted about 30 minutes and were followed by a larger off-the-record mixer with the media involving additional Skydance executives.

— Dade Hayes, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026
Sacramento Kings media day Monday apparently came with some off-the-record player reviews that accidentally went on the record.

— Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of off-the-record

Adjective

There was something sad in our meetups always having to be clandestine.

— Erica Garza, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
The arrest, the official explained, came after the Attorney General’s Office concluded that there had been misconduct in an April operation in which state officials dismantled a clandestine drug-manufacturing laboratory.

— Mauricio Torres, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of clandestine

Adjective

Many hosts report resistance, in the forms of surreptitious card-shuffling and outright complaints.

— Judith Martin, Mercury News, 28 Sep. 2026
To unearth these surreptitious practices, Gamers Nexus partnered up with independent security researchers and Level1Techs.

— Frank Landymore, Futurism, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of surreptitious

Adjective

An unverified Snapchat message, which students in France claim was written by an undercover police officer, has become the slogan of student protests.

— Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
From that moment on, Liang went all-in on becoming the beloved fighter, putting herself through an intense physical transformation to embody the undercover Interpol agent.

— Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of undercover

Adjective

The debate over military options became moot, however, once the Obama administration announced an interim nuclear deal with Tehran, negotiated in 2013 via back-channel diplomacy through Oman.

— Dalia Dassa Kaye, Foreign Affairs, 27 Oct. 2026
There was also a proposal for an AI-hotline-style back-channel between the two countries to provide early warning and additional context should rogue AI conduct unplanned operations.

— Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of back-channel

Adjective

Anthropic also wants to investigate covert misalignment, where models conceal their intentions instead of openly displaying concerning behavior.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026
Tehran denies involvement, but the incident raises the prospect of covert operations against American military assets beyond the Middle East.

— Hamidreza Azizi, Time, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of covert

Adjective

The Daily Express, which first reported the investigation, said the inquiries related to claims that women were trafficked to the king’s private estate in the Scottish Highlands.

— Danica Kirka, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2026
When the heavy hand of government borrowing reduces private investment, jobs are at stake.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of private

Browse Nearby Words

off the bat

off-the-books

off-the-cuff

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“Off-the-books.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/off-the-books. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of off-the-books

adjective

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