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.
All 19 offspring have names starting with the letter J.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
When ratifying the amendment in 1868, however, Congress explicitly recognized that it would also apply to the American-born offspring of immigrants.
From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026
Epic Fury is the technological and tactical offspring of Desert Storm, whose air campaign was history’s first attempt to achieve the political and military aims of war from the air.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
One of the more unexpected findings involved female offspring, which showed more pronounced physical differences.
From Science Daily • Mar. 27, 2026
Because of this, they survived more, reproduced more, and passed this ability down to their offspring.
From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon
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.
