1. straight lines that touch a curve at exactly one point without crossing it
Usage: mathematics; geometry
2. sudden changes to completely different topics in conversation or thought
Usage: informal

Examples

• The student drew tangents to the circle at several points.
• We need to find where the tangents intersect the coordinate axes.
• She kept going off on tangents during her presentation.
• His mind wandered on various tangents instead of focusing on the task.
• The professor’s lecture was full of interesting tangents about history.
• Try to avoid tangents and stick to the main argument.
• The conversation took several tangents before returning to the original topic.