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Synonyms

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.
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

"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

noun

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

    2. ( as modifier )

      the offside passenger door
"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

Etymology

Origin of offside

First recorded in 1840–50; off + side 1

Vocabulary lists containing offside

A Soccer and a Football Special

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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.

"The operation of Semi-Automated Offside Technology does not change the accuracy of the decision making but enhances the speed and efficiency of the process."

From BBC • Feb. 13, 2025

In Champions League games, referees will now be helped by Semi-Automated Offside Technology which judges tight calls using multiple cameras that track players’ limbs.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 2, 2022

Offside is a Facebook page “Where Referees rule & parents are delusional, unsportsmanlike and reckless. You yell at us there, we make fun of you here!”

From Washington Post • Dec. 6, 2021

A soccer referee for more than a decade, the Oklahoma man has launched a program known as Offside to cast shame on abusive parents at all levels of youth sports.

From Washington Times • Sep. 7, 2018

When I had worked at Offside for a while and was given my own room I took the picture with me and hung it on the wall above my desk.

From The Guardian • Nov. 13, 2017

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.