offender

American  

[uh-fen-der] / əˈfɛn dər /

noun

1. someone who has violated a criminal, religious, or moral law.

   The program aids individuals already in the criminal justice system and is geared toward nonviolent offenders.

2. a person or thing that irritates, annoys, or angers.

   Some of us tried to take matters into our own hands by confronting the noise pollution offenders, but they were entirely unwilling to quiet down.

3. something that is disagreeable.

   If you’re curious about the odor, I’m afraid you’ll find that the offender is a catbox that has not been emptied recently.

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Other Word Forms

• nonoffender noun

Etymology

Origin of offender

offend ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Police records seen by the BBC also showed that although police had identified some suspects, the group were treated as "individuals requiring safeguarding" rather than as potential offenders involved in extortion or blackmail.

From BBC

Protecting accusers, he said, matters for prosecuting future offenders, since it’s “very, very difficult to get victims to come forward in these types of situations.”

From The Wall Street Journal

In a joint statement, Queensland Police and the Australian Federal Police said they are "supporting a delegation of Chinese authorities", thanking them for their "ongoing cooperation" given the challenges presented by the alleged offender's location.

From BBC

The department has been using data to focus efforts on violent offenders, gun crimes and repeat offenders—attacking serious crime without inflaming backlash against police, O’Hara has said.

From The Wall Street Journal

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "It is right that IPP sentences were abolished and we have already taken action to support these offenders to move on with their lives."

From BBC

Related Words

• convict
• criminal
• culprit
• delinquent
• felon
• lawbreaker
• suspect