The idiom “take something offline” means to move a discussion or issue from a group setting, often a formal meeting, to a private conversation. It suggests pausing the current public conversation to address the topic later, between a smaller number of people.

Its origin is rooted in the business and technology boom of the late 20th century. The term derives from computing, where “offline” describes a state of being disconnected from a network. In a meeting context, the “network” is the live discussion, and taking an item “offline” removes it from that shared space to be handled separately.

This phrase is predominantly used in professional environments to maintain meeting efficiency. For instance, if a debate between two colleagues becomes too detailed or irrelevant to the entire group, a manager might say, “Let’s take that topic offline,” to keep the meeting on agenda. It politely defers a tangential or bilateral issue without dismissing its importance.

Or you may say to a business partner: “Your technical question is valid, but to respect everyone’s time, let’s take it offline and I'll connect you with the engineering head.”