offset
something that counterbalances, counteracts, or compensates for something else; compensating equivalent.
the start, beginning, or outset.
a short lateral shoot by which certain plants are propagated.
an offshoot or branch of a specific population or family.
any offshoot; branch.
Also called offset printing, offset lithography. Lithography.
a process in which a lithographic stone or metal or paper plate is used to make an inked impression on a rubber blanket that transfers it to the paper being printed, instead of being made directly on the paper.
the impression itself.
Also called setoff. Printing. an unintentional transfer of excess or undried ink from one printed sheet to another.
Geology.
(in faults) the magnitude of displacement between two previously aligned bodies.
a spur of a mountain range.
Machinery. a jog or short displacement in an otherwise straight and continuous line, as in a pipe, lever, or rod, made to avoid objects or to connect with other parts.
Architecture. setoff (def. 3).
Surveying.
a short distance measured perpendicularly from a main survey line.
Also called offset line . a line a short distance from and parallel to a main survey line.
Naval Architecture. any of the coordinates by which any point on a hull being planned is located.
of, noting, or pertaining to an offset.
Lithography. pertaining to, printed by, or suitable for printing by offset.
placed away from a center line; off-center.
placed at an angle to something, as to the axis of a form, shape, or object; not parallel.
to counterbalance as an equivalent does; compensate for: The gains offset the losses.
to juxtapose with something else, as for purposes of comparison: to offset advantages against disadvantages.
Printing.
to make an offset of.
to print by the process of offset lithography.
Architecture. to build with a setoff, as a wall.
Surveying. to establish (a line) parallel to a main survey line at an offset.
to project as an offset or branch.
to counterbalance or compensate.
Printing. to make an offset.
Origin of offset
1Other words for offset
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use offset in a sentence
As I’ve reported before, carbon offsets don’t necessarily cancel out emissions from somewhere else.
Trying to shop sustainably? Here’s what you need to consider. | Sarah Kaplan | November 20, 2020 | Washington PostIt works by drilling a hole through the tenon that is slightly offset from a hole in the mortise, so when you drive a dowel through the two holes, it pulls them into alignment, thus tightly joining the pieces of wood.
Build your own door and ascend to a higher level of DIY | Courtney Starr | November 20, 2020 | Popular-ScienceThat lab work costs $2,000 per DNA sample, officials said Thursday, an expense that the grant funding will help offset.
Prince George’s will use DNA registries to solve cold cases through new DOJ grant | Katie Mettler | November 19, 2020 | Washington PostHitting a net zero target requires using every available technology to decarbonize energy systems—and then using mitigating options or other technology to offset those emissions that are harder to eliminate.
The hydrogen economy: Hyped for years, the most abundant element in the universe is finally having its moment | kdunn6 | November 19, 2020 | FortuneApple is betting that the fee change will result in developers creating more apps and sticking with the App Store, which will create enough new revenue to offset any potential financial negatives from the fee reductions.
Apple to cut app store fees in half for most developers | Verne Kopytoff | November 18, 2020 | Fortune
When it comes to offsetting the negativity of disgust, does pride really work just as well as serenity?
Barbara Fredrickson’s Bestselling ‘Positivity’ Is Trashed by a New Study | Will Wilkinson | August 16, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTHe won on unemployment benefits, on which Senate Republicans didn't even demand offsetting cuts.
After two years, the middle-class cuts would also expire unless Congress paid for them with offsetting savings or tax increases.
In Second Term, What Will Obama Do About Bush Tax Cuts? | Noam Scheiber | March 2, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTBut as the economy strengthens, interest rates will rise, offsetting some of the recovery's beneficial effect on the deficit.
How Obama's State of the Union Muddied the Budget Debate | Robert J. Samuelson | January 26, 2011 | THE DAILY BEASTThe offsetting obligation to pay claims is contingent, unfixed and off on the horizon.
There is a little trick in offsetting pipe that one will have to practice to obtain.
Elements of Plumbing | Samuel DibbleAs offsetting this, however, Coquenil secured information that connected Mrs. Wilmott directly with Martinez.
Through the Wall | Cleveland MoffettThis conception combines two essentially irreconcilable ideas, offsetting each by the other.
Elements of Folk Psychology | Wilhelm WundtThey feel that they would be doing a public service in offsetting the demagoguery and sensationalism of most of the popular press.
Thirty | Howard Vincent O'BrienThe beneficial result is an offsetting of that morbid condition,—that utter want of self-confidence.
The Life and Letters of Lafcadio Hearn, Volume 2 | Elizabeth Bisland
British Dictionary definitions for offset
something that counterbalances or compensates for something else
an allowance made to counteract some effect
a printing method in which the impression is made onto an intermediate surface, such as a rubber blanket, which transfers it to the paper
(modifier) relating to, involving, or printed by offset: offset letterpress; offset lithography
another name for set-off
botany
a short runner in certain plants, such as the houseleek, that produces roots and shoots at the tip
a plant produced from such a runner
a ridge projecting from a range of hills or mountains
the horizontal component of displacement on a fault
a narrow horizontal or sloping surface formed where a wall is reduced in thickness towards the top
a person or group descended collaterally from a particular group or family; offshoot
surveying a measurement of distance to a point at right angles to a survey line
(tr) to counterbalance or compensate for
(tr) to print (pictures, text, etc) using the offset process
(tr) to construct an offset in (a wall)
(intr) to project or develop as an offset
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for offset
[ ôf′sĕt′ ]
A shoot that develops laterally at the base of a plant, often rooting to form a new plant. Many succulents and cacti are propagated by removing offsets and planting them elsewhere. See more at vegetative reproduction.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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