Synonyms of off-the-booksnext
: not reported or recorded
off-the-books transactions
off-the-books covert operations
off the books adverb

Examples of off-the-books in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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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 In 1985, Marty McFly (played by Lucas Hallauer) is a skateboarding high schooler who is accidentally sent back to 1955 in a time machine — ensconced in a DeLorean sports car — by nutty off-the-books scientist Doc Brown (David Josefsberg). Rod Stafford Hagwood, Sun Sentinel, 5 Feb. 2026 The eponymous security droid protagonist (played by Alexander Skarsgård) actually chose its own name and, thanks to some off-the-books hacking, developed free will. Richard Edwards, Space.com, 22 Dec. 2025 Meanwhile, Petek says, the state has rung up $21.6 billion in off-the-books debt to cover deficits in recent fiscal years. Dan Walters, Mercury News, 20 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for off-the-books

Word History

First Known Use

1975, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of off-the-books was in 1975

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Cite this Entry

“Off-the-books.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/off-the-books. Accessed 1 May. 2026.

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