offspring
Americannoun
plural
offspring, offsprings-
children or young of a particular parent or progenitor.
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a child or animal in relation to the parent or parents.
-
a descendant.
-
descendants collectively.
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the product, result, or effect of something.
the offspring of an inventive mind.
noun
-
the immediate descendant or descendants of a person, animal, etc; progeny
-
a product, outcome, or result
Etymology
Origin of offspring
First recorded before 950; Middle English; Old English ofspring; off, of 1, spring (in the sense “to descend from”)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In many cases, one of their offspring takes over the reproductive role, which results in widespread inbreeding within colonies.
From Science Daily
It is the only other highly ranked "monotocous" species, meaning it typically produces a single offspring per pregnancy rather than litters.
From Science Daily
Laurie Bodisch, a financial advisor and founder of Her Wealth Coach in Boiling Springs, Pa., says she has seen skittishness among older adults who lived through the Great Depression and their offspring.
From Barron's
By contrast, a mouse may survive just a few years but is capable of producing dozens of offspring.
From Science Daily
I began, turning my charm first on to Mrs. Maroney and then her irritable offspring.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
