offside

American  

[awf-sahyd, of-] / ˈɔfˈsaɪd, ˈɒf- /

adjective

1. Sports. illegally beyond a prescribed line or area or in advance of the ball or puck at the beginning of or during play or a play.

   The touchdown was nullified because the offensive left tackle was offside.

2. with or in doubtful propriety or taste; risqué.

   an offside joke.

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offside British  

/ ˈɒfˈsaɪd /

adjective

1. sport (in football, hockey, etc) in a position illegally ahead of the ball or puck when it is played, usually when within one's opponents' half or the attacking zone

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noun

1. 1. the side of a vehicle nearest the centre of the road (in Britain, the right side)

   2. ( as modifier )

      the offside passenger door

Etymology

Origin of offside

First recorded in 1840–50; off + side ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

offside

Florian Wirtz: Constantly posed a threat and unlucky not to score, having had a neat finish ruled out as Frimpong was offside and a solid header tipped over by Matz Sels.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

All that was thrown at him as a sophomore, so it was no surprise he had some offside penalties.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

“S&P 500 shorts are particularly vulnerable, with the aggregate short book completely offside and average per-position losses approaching 4%,” he said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

Luis Diaz's offside goal that wasn't for Liverpool in 2023 – a decision VAR should definitely have overturned.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

The timing was perfect: a Blue Springs midfielder booted the ball over the Fugees defense, and to an apparently offside forward.

From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John

Related Words

• erroneous
• inaccurate
• mistaken
• sadly mistaken
• wrong