ON A TANGENT Definition & Meaning

on a tangent

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Idioms and Phrases

On a sudden digression or change of course, as in The professor's hard to follow; he's always off on a tangent . This phrase often occurs in the idioms fly off or go off on a tangent , as in The witness was convincing until he went off on a tangent . This expression alludes to the geometric tangent—a line or curve that touches but does not intersect with another line or curve. [Second half of 1700s]

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

His campaign is likely terrified he'll get angry and defensive and like his Fox News buddy Brian Kilmeade, go off on a tangent arguing that wanting to be more like Hitler isn't such a bad thing.

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Or the way Fauci face-palmed when Trump went off on a tangent about the “deep State Department” during one of his inane daily briefings?

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Maher tried to ask a follow-up after Conway went on a tangent about Hillary Clinton, whose presidential campaign ended almost eight years ago, before being interrupted.

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I had a phone call with an FBI agent and the U.S. attorney in San Diego on a tangent for this case.

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But Trump continued on a tangent about the statute of limitations, taking a jab at Engoron in the process.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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on a tangent

Idioms and Phrases

Example Sentences