offshoot
Americannoun
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a branch or lateral shoot from a main stem, as of a plant.
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anything conceived of as springing or proceeding from a main stock.
an offshoot of a discussion.
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a branch, descendant, or scion of a specific population or family.
noun
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a shoot or branch growing from the main stem of a plant
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something that develops or derives from a principal source or origin
Etymology
Origin of offshoot
Explanation
On a plant, an offshoot is a sprout or shoot that branches off. From this botanical meaning, offshoot has come to describe anything that starts or grows from something else. You can start a whole new plant with a houseplant's offshoot, by putting it in water and waiting for it to grow roots. Another kind of offshoot is a local branch of a library, an offshoot of the central location, or an offshoot of a popular TV show, also called a "spin-off." Interestingly, the earliest definition of offshoot, in the seventeenth century, referred to family trees. It wasn't until 1814 that offshoot was used for actual plants.
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.
It began as an offshoot of his sports magazine Sportlight, before evolving into a glossy weekly combining showbusiness and sport by 1957.
From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026
The lawsuit further accuses Anderson of using two offshoot LLCs and a real estate company to funnel himself around $5 million in additional profits.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026
The team believes this was an early offshoot of what is now the Azores mantle plume.
From Science Daily • Feb. 23, 2026
Andrew Herscowitz, the chief executive of a unit established by a charitable offshoot of the Rockefeller Foundation to help 300 million Africans gain access to electricity by 2030, was invited to the summit.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026
Including Riker, whose Kidnapper Club is basically a local offshoot of the Golden Circle.
From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older
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.
