Definition, Meaning & Synonyms
off-the-wagon
idiom
/ˈɔf ðə ˈwæɡən/
Definition
A phrase indicating a person who has started drinking alcohol again after a period of abstinence.
Examples
- After three years of sobriety, he sadly fell off the wagon during the holiday party.
- She promised her friends she would stay sober, but she went off-the-wagon at the reunion.
Meaning
To be ‘off-the-wagon’ means that someone has resumed a habit or behavior that they had previously given up, especially in the context of alcohol consumption.
Synonyms
- relapsed
- returned to drinking
- fallen off the wagon
