off-the-record

[ awf-thuh-rek-erd, of- ]

adjective

1. not for publication; not to be quoted:

   a candidate's off-the-record remarks to reporters.

2. confidential:

   off-the-record information.

off the record

adjective

1. not intended for publication or disclosure; confidential

adverb

1. with such an intention; unofficially

Word History and Origins

Origin of off-the-record¹

First recorded in 1930–35

Idioms and Phrases

Unofficially, in confidence, not for publication, as in What he was about to say, he told the reporters, was strictly off the record . Probably alluding to striking evidence from a court record (because it is irrelevant or improper), this term came into wide use in the mid-1900s, especially with reference to persons who did not wish to be quoted by journalists. For antonyms, see go on record ; just for the record .

Example Sentences

In June 2022, after Terry attended a private “off-the-record” meeting that included Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, senior State Department officials and several other Korea policy experts, a South Korean agent in a car registered to the South Korean Embassy picked her up and photographed her handwritten notes, according to the indictment.

From Los Angeles Times

Vance, whose never-Trumpism wasn’t whispered in private or dished to reporters off-the-record, but published in first-person essays in the Atlantic.

From Slate

Mr. Lewis has acknowledged having an off-the-record conversation with Mr. Folkenflik, whom he called an “activist.”

From New York Times

Mr. Lewis said he’d had an off-the-record conversation with the reporter, whom he described as “an activist, not a journalist.”

From New York Times

In an interview on Thursday, Mr. Folkenflik said he did not violate an off-the-record agreement with Mr. Lewis to report Thursday’s article.

From New York Times

Related Words

• confidentially
• privately