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.
The idea is that not all contact with the hair should be an offence, and it needs to be an act with excessive force for a player to be sent off.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
"The latest statement uses the issue as an opportunity to condemn the entire US policy of pressure against North Korea, marking a shift from defence to offence," he told AFP.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
Police have been given an extra 36 hours to question a 16 and 17-year-old, also from the city, who were held on Monday morning on suspicion of the same offence.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
Entering private property without a landowner's consent to forage is a civil rather than criminal offence.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
They took to my barging without any offence, making room for me like a good-natured crowd.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
