offshore

American  

[awf-shawr, -shohr, of-] / ˈɔfˈʃɔr, -ˈʃoʊr, ˈɒf- /

adverb

1. off or away from the shore;

   They pushed the boat offshore.

2. at a distance from the shore, on a body of water.

   looking for oil offshore.

3. in a foreign country.

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adjective

1. moving or tending away from the shore toward or into a body of water.

   an offshore wind.

2. located or operating on a body of water, at some distance from the shore.

   offshore fisheries.

3. registered, located, conducted, or operated in a foreign country.

   an offshore investment company; offshore manufacture of car parts.

verb (used with or without object)

1. (of a company or organization) to move jobs or business activities from the home territory to a foreign country: At this time, the manufacturing division has no plans to offshore.

   When our IT services were offshored to Malaysia, I lost my job.

   At this time, the manufacturing division has no plans to offshore.

offshore British  

/ ˌɒfˈʃɔː /

adjective

1. from, away from, or at some distance from the shore

2. overseas; abroad

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adjective

1. sited or conducted at sea as opposed to on land

   offshore industries

2. based or operating abroad in places where the tax system is more advantageous than that of the home country

   offshore banking

   offshore fund

offshore Scientific  

/ ôf′shôr′ /

1. The relatively flat, irregularly shaped zone that extends outward from the breaker zone to the edge of the continental shelf. The water depth in this area is usually at least 10 m (33 ft). The offshore is continually submerged.

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Other Word Forms

• offshoring noun

Etymology

Origin of offshore

First recorded in 1710–20; off + shore ¹

Example Sentences

"The UK has one of the biggest offshore wind markets in the world," Khan said.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

The transaction took place offshore through an entity registered in the Isle of Man, the people said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

The seeds of Scott’s journey into offshore medical treatments can be traced to about 2002, when he began to experiment with fasting as a way to prevent persistent sinus infections.

From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026

Researchers also found that the ice in the Beaufort Sea is no longer extending as far offshore as it once did.

From Science Daily • Mar. 27, 2026

She tied up to a convenient tree on a small island offshore.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer