Off-route

Describing something that is not following the intended or prescribed path, itinerary, or course. This can apply to physical travel, data transmission, or even abstract concepts like a line of thought. The deviation implies a divergence from the planned or expected trajectory, potentially leading to delays, errors, or unintended consequences. The term often highlights a lack of adherence to established procedures or a chosen course of action. It emphasizes the unplanned or unintended nature of the deviation from the designated route, path, or goal. This is an action with a focus on the departure from a preordained path.

Off-route meaning with examples

• The hiker realized they were off-route when they encountered unfamiliar terrain and the trail markers disappeared. They had to consult their map and retrace their steps to find the correct path, adding considerable time to their journey. The unexpected detour, brought about by not following the established trail markers, made the hike longer than expected.
• During the hurricane evacuation, the navigation system directed the drivers off-route due to road closures, causing traffic jams and further complicating the already stressful situation. The emergency services had to reroute the traffic manually as the map systems faltered in these unforeseen circumstances.
• The package delivery was marked as off-route when the truck experienced a mechanical failure and the delivery driver had to find a detour to the nearest maintenance facility before being able to continue along the established route to make deliveries. This lead to delays on all deliveries from that route.
• The investigation revealed that the data packet was sent off-route due to a network configuration error, causing a security breach and a data leak that needed to be addressed immediately. The error caused it to pass though an unintended server.
• The politician's speech went off-route when he started to discuss an unrelated personal anecdote, losing the focus on his policy proposals and confusing the audience. The audience became disengaged and the speech lost its impact by becoming off-track.
• The pilot, affected by high winds, noticed the plane was flying off-route. After using the autopilot he was able to find a heading that aligned with the desired course before it was too late and the plane was able to continue to the destination.
• After a miscommunication, the building materials were delivered off-route due to a mislabeled address, leading to delayed construction and extra expenses for the construction company to have to send the materials to the correct location. This mistake was the result of a lack of attention to detail.
• The detectives realised that the suspect had gone off-route when they saw that he was no longer heading for his last known address. They had to use surveillance to determine his new path, and ultimately apprehend him for his alleged crimes.
• The research team discovered that the experiment had gone off-route because they had mistakenly used the wrong reagents, resulting in inaccurate results and wasted resources, and had to start over. This was because of a lack of care during the preparation phase.
• The CEO's presentation went off-route when she was confronted with unexpected questions from shareholders, causing her to struggle to maintain her message. This meant that her presentation failed in its attempt to keep focus on its goals.