offense

American  

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

British, offence

noun

• offenses
  plural

1. a violation or breaking of a social or moral rule; transgression; sin.

   Synonyms:

   fault, felony, trespass

2. a transgression of the law; misdemeanor.

   Synonyms:

   fault, felony, trespass

3. a cause of transgression or wrong.

4. something that offends or displeases.

5. the act of offending or displeasing.

6. the feeling of resentful displeasure caused.

   to give offense.

   Synonyms:

   wrath, resentment, umbrage, indignation

   Antonyms:

   pleasure

7. the act of attacking; attack or assault.

   weapons of offense.

   Synonyms:

   aggression

   Antonyms:

   defense

8. a person, army, etc., that is attacking.

   Synonyms:

   foe, enemy

9. Sports.

   1. the players or team unit responsible for attacking or scoring in a game.

   2. the players possessing or controlling the ball, puck, etc., or the aspects or period of a game when this obtains.

   3. a pattern or style of scoring attack.

      single-wing offense; fast-break offense.

   4. offensive effectiveness; ability to score.

      a total breakdown in offense.

10. Archaic. injury, harm, or hurt.

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offense Idioms  

1. see no offense; take offense.

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Synonym Usage

See crime.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-offense
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• offenses
  plural

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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

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

offense offenses

Although they are the league’s most efficient offense, the Lakers turn the ball over 16.9 times per game, the fifth-most in the NBA.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2026

The Minnesota Vikings are turning to an old friend to save their nightmare offense.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2026

Hunter, who plays wide receiver and cornerback, missed more than half of last season with an injury, and he has only played sparingly on offense this year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026

The Rams’ offense was attempting to close out the team’s third consecutive victory with a first down that would have enabled them to run out the clock.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2026

Numerous states now have some type of mandatory sentencing for this offense—typically two days in jail for a first offense and two to ten days for a second offense.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

He has not been previously convicted or accused of any prior driving offenses in California, according to state Department of Motor Vehicles records.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2026

She supervised the prosecution of music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, who was convicted of prostitution offenses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

Nashiri was charged in April 2011 with offenses including murder in violation of the law of war and terrorism, but his case has been mired in pre-trial proceedings for years.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

After Tuesday’s game featuring a matchup of the NBA’s two best offenses, they dropped to 22nd in defensive rating.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

We also focused on the children who, like Joe Sullivan, Ian Manuel, and Antonio Nuñez, had been convicted of non-homicide offenses.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

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Related Words

• breach
• crime
• infraction
• misdeed
• misdemeanor
• sin
• transgression
• trespass
• violation
• wrongdoing

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