How do you say “Think outside the box” in French?
The closest natural French equivalent is sortir des sentiers battus, which literally means “to leave the well-trodden paths”. English speakers use think outside the box to mean to look for ideas beyond the usual approach. A French idiom for moving beyond familiar approaches. It can describe actions as well as ideas. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural French
sortir des sentiers battus
/sɔʁtiʁ de sɑ̃tje baty/
- Literal meaning
- “to leave the well-trodden paths”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
90 out of 100
What a native French speaker would actually say
The paths are routes people have taken many times before. Leaving them suggests looking for a less predictable solution.
This is broader than thinking alone: a film or a holiday can also “sortir des sentiers battus”. In a problem-solving discussion, the intended match is clear.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning4 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity2 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
We thought outside the box and turned the empty shop into a classroom.
French
Nous sommes sortis des sentiers battus en transformant la boutique vide en salle de classe.
English
Try thinking outside the box instead of buying another expensive machine.
French
Essaie de sortir des sentiers battus au lieu d'acheter encore une machine coûteuse.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-10-01