offend
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to irritate, annoy, or anger; cause resentful displeasure in.
Even the hint of prejudice offends me.
- Antonyms:
- please
-
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)
-
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
-
offendernoun
-
reoffendverb
-
overoffendverb (used with object)
-
preoffendverb (used with object)
-
offendableadjective
-
offendingadjective
-
unoffendableadjective
-
unoffendingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
offendsimple
-
offendssimple
-
have offendedperfect
-
has offendedperfect
-
am offendingprogressive
-
are offendingprogressive
-
is offendingprogressive
-
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:
A sympathetic observer might fairly wonder what the point is of a grand moral pronouncement—one issued by the pope or any religious figure—that doesn’t offend or seriously challenge honored cultural arbiters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026
The two brothers appeared in court on Wednesday to face charges of using a carriage service to harass or offend.
From BBC ● May 21, 2026
“Least as in least likely to offend the president with the rerun of ‘Comics Unleashed’ from 2007 featuring Paula Poundstone and Andy Dick.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
Yet the majority treats Louisiana’s mapmaking choices that offend Section 2 as if they arrived unmarked by history.
From Slate ● May 8, 2026
But I know there are also humans who make bad bargains or offend the wrong faerie and who are not treated so well.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
Coming from a family of artists, she said, it offends her that AI models train on the creative work of people who aren’t compensated for their intellectual property.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026
But discomfort lives in the shadows: in the quiet space between conscience and control, between what offends and what erases.
From Slate ● Apr. 23, 2025
At the very least, that's not something that offends people.
From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2024
“People, and particularly women, tend to kvetch and converse and complain about what offends them, and then they vote according to what affects them,” she said.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2024
He sniffs, as though the very smell of me offends him.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
It offended German sensibilities to have an Italian suitor for a blue-chip, analysts said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 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
If she has offended you before, then we can assume this is part of a pattern of behavior.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
Anna keeps prefacing her remarks with the words “no offense,” but Pete can’t help being offended by her pointed disdain.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
“Now, I’ve offended him. Well, if it does him good, I’m glad, if it makes him hate me, I’m sorry, but it’s true, and I can’t take back a word of it.”
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
Kerry remembers the night she first heard about Kebatu's offending, for which he was jailed and later deported.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
The investigation into individuals who may have facilitated or enabled offending by Al Fayed has been described by the Met as one of its "largest and most complex".
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
The letters urged both companies to take action against any offending sellers but didn’t address whether the platforms themselves had violated relevant laws.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
An officer reviews the footage before issuing a flat-rated $93 citation, which is sent to the registered owner of the offending vehicle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
He got out of his seat, picked up the offending aircraft, and waved it at us.
From "Ungifted" by Gordon Korman
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.
