noun

tangent

TAN-juhnt

noun

A straight line that touches a curve at exactly one point without crossing it.

"Draw a tangent to the circle at that point."

A sudden shift to a topic only loosely related to what was being discussed.

"He went off on a tangent about his holiday plans."

"Let's not go off on a tangent — back to the budget."

How to Use Tangent

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishIn geometry, a line touching a curve at one point; in everyday speech, a side-topic that veers away from the main subject.

Common mistake

In everyday use it almost always means "going off topic," not the mathematical line.

Common pairings

go off on a tangent a mathematical tangent

tangents plural

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Can you complete this real example?

Draw a _____ to the circle at that point.

From Latin tangens ("touching"), the present participle of tangere ("to touch").