offspring
Americannoun
plural
offspring, offsprings-
children or young of a particular parent or progenitor.
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a child or animal in relation to the parent or parents.
-
a descendant.
-
descendants collectively.
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the product, result, or effect of something.
the offspring of an inventive mind.
noun
-
the immediate descendant or descendants of a person, animal, etc; progeny
-
a product, outcome, or result
Etymology
Origin of offspring
First recorded before 950; Middle English; Old English ofspring; see off, of 1, spring (in the sense “to descend from”)
Explanation
Puppies are the offspring, or children, of a mamma dog. You're the offspring of your biological parents. This is basically another word for children. Baby horses, gorillas, lizards, and humans are all offspring. A woman who gives birth to quadruplets suddenly has a lot of offspring. But this word isn't limited to biological creations — you could say that a project you've been laboring over is your offspring. Albert Einstein's offspring included many groundbreaking theories, and the scientists who followed up on Einstein's ideas are considered his intellectual offspring.
Vocabulary lists containing offspring
It's All in the Family
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Christmas Carol Vocab: A Lyrical Lexicon
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"The Origin of Species by Natural Selection" by Charles Darwin: Essential Words
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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.
Famously, the Lunachicks took the Offspring out as their opening act until “Come Out and Play” became a number one single.
From Salon • Apr. 28, 2026
Offspring typically remain with their mothers until they are nearly adult size.
From Science Daily • Feb. 27, 2026
“I worked with the guys in the Offspring, we threw around ideas together, and I told them they could basically do whatever they wanted. I’m really excited for fans to see it,” Dostal said.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2026
It’s “Come Out and Play” by local heroes, and one of Orange County’s most influential punk bands, the Offspring.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2026
Offspring a little better than herself she gave to it.
From The Preliminaries And Other Stories by Comer, Cornelia A. P.
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.
