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

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

offense offenses

Jimmy Garoppolo is no longer on the roster and Stafford was on a limited schedule during training camp, so Bennett worked with the first-team offense for the first time in his career.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

From the offense, Roberts said, “I saw that urgency tonight which we’ve got to build on from here on out.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 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

Her offense is recognizing the truth that differences between men and women are real and substantive.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

"You really don't. My mother was an immortal goddess. You cannot compare her life to your brother's. No offense."

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

While he wore the headset in Oxford, Kiffin built one of the SEC’s most devastating offenses, piling up 37.3 points per game and transforming an unknown backup quarterback into a Heisman trophy candidate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

The offenses allegedly took place between 2010 and 2017.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

The company, according to county attorneys, faced California Division of Occupational Safety and Health citations and more than $900,000 in fines from the South Coast Air Quality Management District for past offenses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026

But experts cautioned against reading too much into year-over-year numbers that can fluctuate based on many factors — including how authorities classify and count certain offenses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026

A convenient distortion, and the least of my offenses against veracity.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

Related Words

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