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offbeat

[ adjective awf-beet, of-; noun awf-beet, of- ]
/ adjective ˈɔfˈbit, ˈɒf-; noun ˈɔfˌbit, ˈɒf- /
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See synonyms for: offbeat / offbeats on Thesaurus.com

adjective
differing from the usual or expected; unconventional: an offbeat comedian.
noun
Music. an unaccented beat of a measure.
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Origin of offbeat

First recorded in 1925–30; off + beat
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use offbeat in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for offbeat

offbeat
/ (ˈɒfˌbiːt) /

noun
music any of the normally unaccented beats in a bar, such as the second and fourth beats in a bar of four-four time. They are stressed in most rock and some jazz and dance music, such as the bossa nova
adjective
  1. unusual, unconventional, or eccentric
  2. (as noun)he liked the offbeat in fashion
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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