offender
Americannoun
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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.
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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.
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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.
Other Word Forms
- nonoffender noun
Etymology
Origin of offender
Explanation
An offender is a criminal, someone who breaks the law. A first-time offender, depending on the crime, might only have to pay a fine or perform community service. Offender is the way prison inmates and lawbreakers are often referred to in news reports or by police officers and prison staff. You might hear terms like "drug offenders," people arrested for crimes involving illegal drugs, or "juvenile offenders," young people who have broken the law. Offender comes from the verb offend, "to sin against" in the fourteenth century, from the Latin offendere, "to hit or strike against."
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.
Evidence from the phone showed Foulkes was aware of the man's status as a registered sex offender earlier than he had claimed when speaking to vetting officers.
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
New details emerged about the former Duchess of York's friendship with the late convicted sex offender in the documents released by the US Department of Justice earlier this year.
From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026
Mountbatten-Windsor has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender.
From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026
Justice Department leaders offered to meet with lawmakers in the midst of sustained criticism over their handling of files on the sex offender.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
The cop, unharmed, exited his vehicle and walked toward the offender.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
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.
