tangent
📖 Definitions
noun
1. A line of thought or action that diverges from the main topic or course.
2. A line that touches a curve or a surface at one point but doesn’t cross it.
adjective
1. Straying from the main topic.
2. Touching a curve or a surface at one point without crossing it.
💬 Usage Examples
“Be cognizant of the exact question you were asked and make sure to answer it fully before going off on a tangent.” Ryan Joseph; Job Interview Etiquette; Security Business (Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin); Nov 2023. “If once this tangent flight of mine were over, and I were returned to my wonted leisurely motion in my old circle, I may probably endeavour to return her poetic compliment in kind.” Robert Burns; The Letters of Robert Burns, Vol 1; Oxford University Press; 1986.