offence

American  

[uh-fens, aw-fens, of-ens] / əˈfɛns, ˈɔ fɛns, ˈɒf ɛns /

noun

British.

1. variant of offense.

---

offence British  

/ əˈfɛns /

noun

1. a violation or breach of a law, custom, rule, etc

2. 1. any public wrong or crime

   2. a nonindictable crime punishable on summary conviction

3. annoyance, displeasure, or resentment

4. to cause annoyance or displeasure to someone

5. to feel injured, humiliated, or offended

6. a source of annoyance, displeasure, or anger

7. attack; assault

8. archaic injury or harm

9. American football

   1. the team that has possession of the ball

   2. the members of a team that play in such circumstances

---

Other Word Forms

• offenceless adjective

Compare meaning

How does offence compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• offence vs. defence

Example Sentences

The hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday was the first time the men had appeared in court charged with the offences.

From BBC

Councils are the primary enforcement bodies for most fly-tipping offences, while Natural Resources Wales investigates larger scale cases and incidents on the land it manages.

From BBC

"We've seen that the complaints truly had no merit, and the president is confident he committed no impeachable offence," she told reporters after the ruling, adding Marcos believed it was now time to "move forward".

From Barron's

Wright was charged with the offences back in 2024 and initially pleaded not guilty before changing his plea on Monday.

From BBC

It is on track to hit 100,000 cases by November next year and some suspects being charged with offences today are already being told their cases won't be dealt with until 2030.

From BBC