offend
Americanverb (used with object)
-
offends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
offended,
past participle, past
-
offending
present participle
-
to irritate, annoy, or anger; cause resentful displeasure in.
Even the hint of prejudice offends me.
- Antonyms:
- please
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to affect (the sense, taste, etc.) disagreeably.
-
to violate or transgress (a criminal, religious, or moral law).
-
to hurt or cause pain to.
-
(in Biblical use) to cause to fall into sinful ways.
verb (used without object)
-
offends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
offended,
past participle, past
-
offending
present participle
-
to cause resentful displeasure; irritate, annoy, or anger.
a remark so thoughtless it can only offend.
-
to err in conduct; commit a sin, crime, or fault.
- Synonyms:
- trespass, transgress
verb
-
to hurt the feelings, sense of dignity, etc, of (a person)
-
(tr) to be disagreeable to; disgust
the smell offended him
-
(intr except in archaic uses) to break (a law or laws in general)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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offendernoun
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reoffendverb
-
overoffendverb (used with object)
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preoffendverb (used with object)
-
offendableadjective
-
offendingadjective
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unoffendableadjective
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unoffendingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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offendsimple
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offendssimple
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have offendedperfect
-
has offendedperfect
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am offendingprogressive
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are offendingprogressive
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is offendingprogressive
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have been offendingperfect progressive
-
has been offendingperfect progressive
Past
-
offendedsimple
-
had offendedperfect
-
was offendingprogressive
-
were offendingprogressive
-
had been offendingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of offend
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English offenden, from Middle French offendre, from Latin offendere “to strike against, displease,” from of- of- + -fendere “to strike” ( see also bane ( def. ))
Explanation
If you hurt someone's feelings, you offend that person. You might accidentally offend your friend when you joke about the worst restaurant in town, not realizing it's her favorite place to eat. If you do something that makes another person resent you, you offend them. Your friends might not mind because you're so humble, but it could offend other classmates when the teachers always pick you for awards and honors. You also offend when you cause disgust or distaste. After your week of camping — and not showering — your smell will probably offend the nose of anyone who has to sit near you.
Vocabulary lists containing offend
The Watsons Go to Birmingham
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"Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou
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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.
See Examples For:
I don’t care if the officers caught on tape didn’t intend to offend, and I don’t care what Hochman intends the message to be with his vast over-charging of Flores.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
In its statement, Moygashel Bonfire Association said the display might "shock, offend or outrage", but said those involved in making it were exercising their right to freedom of expression.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Lord Young said: "I cannot identify any factors which caused you to offend, which might be considered to be mitigatory factors."
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
It’s usually a warning sign when a religious declaration fails to offend elite opinion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026
This certainly explained why Fela had been so hesitant to offend him.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
That’s “diworsification”—ideas watered down to the lowest common denominator, the least innovative option that offends no one.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 26, 2025
What also offends him is that marginalised communities are only talked about as statistics.
From BBC ● May 22, 2025
At the very least, that's not something that offends people.
From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2024
Right now, platforms can take down vile and harmful content when it offends their terms of service.
From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2023
“My mockery offends you? My people would welcome your laughter in place of this barbarity.”
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
It’s about trying to expand the possibility of dialogue beyond the boundaries of those most offended.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
“The subjective displeasure of an offended observer does not amount to a concrete injury,” Sauer said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
She’s a little rain cloud of a person, dour and humorless, though perhaps rightly offended by being passed over.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
"More than 100,000 people have watched this performance, and not a single complaint has been made by anyone saying they were offended by this particular section," he said.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
But when I confront him, he is offended.
From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh
The judge said that Gibson had previously tried to persuade the court that he had not deliberately deceived the victims, but he said the evidence had shown "deception was central" to his offending.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
"We of course know it's a harsh submission to make, but we submit it is demanded by the nature of the offending in this case."
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
In written arguments, they said an additional three years "utterly fails to reflect the gravity of the offending or vindicate the dignity of each of the four victims".
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Its public statements “proved hollow when it came to taking disciplinary measures against offending students and faculty.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Rising to my full height—a spectacle in itself—I looked down upon the offending policeman and crushed him with a comment which, fortunately, he failed to understand.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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.
