go off the rails
idiom
informal
: to lose control and start to behave in a way that is not normal or acceptable
He was a promising student but he went off the rails after he started taking drugs.
Examples of go off the rails in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Things go off the rails a bit with Spider-Man 3, which is a bit overstuffed in, well, just about every way.
—
Evan Romano, Men's Health, 2 June 2023
Gaughan had an acute sense that such a major case could, without careful tending, go off the rails at any moment, McMahon said.
—Megan Crepeau, Chicago Tribune, 27 Nov. 2022
Making seasonal deals available weeks or months before Black Friday can ease some of the pressure and reduce the likelihood that anything will go off the rails.
—Gary Drenik, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2022
Ivan Perez, 53, is philosophical about what caused his life to go off the rails.
—New York Times, 18 Apr. 2022
See all Example Sentences for go off the rails 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Evan Romano, Men's Health, 2 June 2023
Gaughan had an acute sense that such a major case could, without careful tending, go off the rails at any moment, McMahon said.
—Megan Crepeau, Chicago Tribune, 27 Nov. 2022
Making seasonal deals available weeks or months before Black Friday can ease some of the pressure and reduce the likelihood that anything will go off the rails.
—Gary Drenik, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2022
Ivan Perez, 53, is philosophical about what caused his life to go off the rails.
—New York Times, 18 Apr. 2022
See all Example Sentences for go off the rails
Dictionary Entries Near go off the rails
Cite this Entry
“Go off the rails.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/go%20off%20the%20rails. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share