setoff
Americannoun
-
something that counterbalances or makes up for something else, as compensation for a loss.
-
Accounting. a counterbalancing debt or claim, especially one that cancels an amount a debtor owes.
-
Also called offset. Architecture.
-
a reduction in the thickness of a wall.
-
a flat or sloping projection on a wall, buttress, or the like, below a thinner part.
-
-
something used to enhance the effect of another thing by contrasting it, as an ornament.
-
Printing. offset.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of setoff
First recorded in 1615–25; noun use of verb phrase set off
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.
Peck didn’t allow the setoff, saying required “mutuality” was lacking.
From BusinessWeek • Oct. 18, 2011
Peck said that bankruptcy law requires mutuality, meaning that setoff only exists between the same two companies.
From BusinessWeek • Oct. 6, 2011
Because there was no right of setoff in the first place, there was nothing for the safe harbor to protect.
From BusinessWeek • Oct. 6, 2011
If a triangular setoff were permitted, the Lehman broker’s other creditors would be $23 million worse off.
From BusinessWeek • Oct. 6, 2011
She closed her eyes and slept, and presently they woke her and setoff.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
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.
