- a variation of offense.
offence
Americannoun
noun
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a violation or breach of a law, custom, rule, etc
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any public wrong or crime
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a nonindictable crime punishable on summary conviction
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annoyance, displeasure, or resentment
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to cause annoyance or displeasure to someone
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to feel injured, humiliated, or offended
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a source of annoyance, displeasure, or anger
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attack; assault
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archaic injury or harm
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American football
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the team that has possession of the ball
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the members of a team that play in such circumstances
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Other Word Forms
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Explanation
Offence is the British spelling of offense, meaning "a punishable act." If you break a law for the first time, it’s your first offence. The noun offence comes from the Latin word offendere, which means “strike against.” Any time you break a law or a rule it is an offence against that law or rule. Also meaning "rudeness" — or the anger caused by it. In countries like the United States, the preferred spelling is offense, so don't take offense if someone corrects you.
Vocabulary lists containing offence
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.
Offence alone is not enough, though, for we can offend with language without swearing.
From BBC • Feb. 26, 2017
Wolf Hall was also nominated in the best drama series category, alongside Humans, No Offence and The Last Panthers.
From BBC • Mar. 30, 2016
Oxford’s student union banned No Offence, a magazine featuring stories defending colonialism and other controversies, from being distributed at its freshers’ fair.
From Economist • Oct. 27, 2015
Offence can be caused by accident, when an artist misjudges a mood, or makes too sudden a change of creative direction.
From The Guardian • Oct. 21, 2010
His Soul is kindled, and he kindles mine: Scornful of Vice, and fearless of Offence, He flows a Torrent of impetuous Sense.
From An Essay on Satire, Particularly on the Dunciad by Harte, Walter
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.
