offense
Americannoun
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offenses
plural
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a violation or breaking of a social or moral rule; transgression; sin.
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a transgression of the law; misdemeanor.
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a cause of transgression or wrong.
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something that offends or displeases.
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the act of offending or displeasing.
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the feeling of resentful displeasure caused.
to give offense.
- Synonyms:
- wrath, resentment, umbrage, indignation
- Antonyms:
- pleasure
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the act of attacking; attack or assault.
weapons of offense.
- Synonyms:
- aggression
- Antonyms:
- defense
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a person, army, etc., that is attacking.
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Sports.
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the players or team unit responsible for attacking or scoring in a game.
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the players possessing or controlling the ball, puck, etc., or the aspects or period of a game when this obtains.
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a pattern or style of scoring attack.
single-wing offense; fast-break offense.
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offensive effectiveness; ability to score.
a total breakdown in offense.
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Archaic. injury, harm, or hurt.
Synonym Usage
See crime.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of offense
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English offence, offense; in part from Middle French offens, from Latin offēnsus “collision, knock,” equivalent to offend(ere) ( see offend) + -tus suffix of verb action; in part from Middle French offense, ultimately from Latin offēnsa, feminine past participle of offendere
Explanation
The part of a team that tries to score points is called the offense. If you play forward on a soccer team, you are on offense. If you offend someone — that is you cause them to be upset because of your actions or words — then you may need to apologize for the offense. After all, you meant no offense when you said that disco was dead. How were you to know the guy still loved the '70s? In the eyes of the law, an offense is a crime.
Vocabulary lists containing offense
Set, Hut! Football Vocabulary
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Words Football Fans Can Master Easily
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Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address (1865)
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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:
USC quarterback Jayden Maiava focused during the offseason on trying to be a more vocal leader as he prepares for his third season leading the Trojans’ offense.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Though the state and federal charges aren’t the same, his legal team is likely to contend that he can’t be tried for the same offense twice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Ariel Atkins cut the deficit to 90-87 after banking in a three-pointer with 22 seconds remaining, but the Mercury made their free throws and pressured the Sparks’ offense.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
He was originally charged with a misdemeanor, though prosecutors later elevated the offense to a felony.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Forty-eight states and the District of Columbia prohibit people from voting while incarcerated for a felony offense.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
Seeking to deny Lavie mental health diversion, prosecutors said she was plotting behind bars and engaging in conduct very similar to the charged offenses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
However, faced with missing the playoffs for the fifth straight season, the Giants shipped his expiring contract to a team that has October ambitions but one of the National League’s worst offenses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
British prosecutors said Saturday the brothers are facing a total of 59 charges for alleged offenses that took place between 2010 and 2017.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
California established mental health diversion in 2018 to prioritize treatment over punishment for eligible defendants whose mental illness contributed to their alleged offenses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
The same offenses were listed beside the name of Shin’s second oldest uncle.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
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.
