offend
Americanverb (used with object)
-
offends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
offended,
past participle, past
-
offending
present participle
-
to irritate, annoy, or anger; cause resentful displeasure in.
Even the hint of prejudice offends me.
- Antonyms:
- please
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to affect (the sense, taste, etc.) disagreeably.
-
to violate or transgress (a criminal, religious, or moral law).
-
to hurt or cause pain to.
-
(in Biblical use) to cause to fall into sinful ways.
verb (used without object)
-
offends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
offended,
past participle, past
-
offending
present participle
-
to cause resentful displeasure; irritate, annoy, or anger.
a remark so thoughtless it can only offend.
-
to err in conduct; commit a sin, crime, or fault.
- Synonyms:
- trespass, transgress
verb
-
to hurt the feelings, sense of dignity, etc, of (a person)
-
(tr) to be disagreeable to; disgust
the smell offended him
-
(intr except in archaic uses) to break (a law or laws in general)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
offendernoun
-
reoffendverb
-
overoffendverb (used with object)
-
preoffendverb (used with object)
-
offendableadjective
-
offendingadjective
-
unoffendableadjective
-
unoffendingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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offendsimple
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offendssimple
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have offendedperfect
-
has offendedperfect
-
am offendingprogressive
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are offendingprogressive
-
is offendingprogressive
-
have been offendingperfect progressive
-
has been offendingperfect progressive
Past
-
offendedsimple
-
had offendedperfect
-
was offendingprogressive
-
were offendingprogressive
-
had been offendingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of offend
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English offenden, from Middle French offendre, from Latin offendere “to strike against, displease,” from of- of- + -fendere “to strike” ( see also bane ( def. ))
Explanation
If you hurt someone's feelings, you offend that person. You might accidentally offend your friend when you joke about the worst restaurant in town, not realizing it's her favorite place to eat. If you do something that makes another person resent you, you offend them. Your friends might not mind because you're so humble, but it could offend other classmates when the teachers always pick you for awards and honors. You also offend when you cause disgust or distaste. After your week of camping — and not showering — your smell will probably offend the nose of anyone who has to sit near you.
Vocabulary lists containing offend
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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.
See Examples For:
Canadian officials stressed on Wednesday that their pivot to Europe is not meant to offend anybody, but rather to build on work that was already underway.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
It’s not easy to go through life in a double consciousness, hyperaware that one’s behavior might offend or unease.
From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026
But more than that, ‘Are we doing things that could actually offend them?’
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
The Guardian called the programme "the most controversial show of the year", external, and its four-star review said the documentary "will incense and offend some of its viewers", but that "Pemberton answers his questions convincingly".
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
“Do I offend you, sweetling? I am an offensive creature, as my father would be glad to tell you if he were not dead and rotting.”
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
That’s “diworsification”—ideas watered down to the lowest common denominator, the least innovative option that offends no one.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 26, 2025
"Crass content can be criticised if it offends you. However, you cannot have the state persecute and lock up people for offending your 'moral sentiments'," he wrote in a post on X.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2025
At the very least, that's not something that offends people.
From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2024
Right now, platforms can take down vile and harmful content when it offends their terms of service.
From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2023
“The slightest air of disbelief offends it, naturally. How would you feel if people refused to believe in you?”
From "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson
Social media is a colosseum of the recreationally offended, and the quickest way to get attention is to be mean and crude.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
You do whatever you want; I’m not offended by any of it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2026
She was really offended, and she told me as much.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
It’s not that I’m offended by the idea of generated art; it’s just that it bores me.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
Some girls might have been offended by that, and at first, I did think it was kind of mean.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed Saturday that it received a letter in January 2019 containing allegations of offending outside the United Kingdom.
From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026
In relation to Mariano, a prosecuting barrister said she had a lead role in the offending and there was evidence that £174,000 passed between the accounts of the two defendants.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
The ministry did not specify the nature of the offending act.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
To avoid offending her, he went to a lecture by Oswald Spengler, the author of “The Decline of the West,” published in two volumes in 1918 and 1922.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Were you more aware, you would know or realize by now that the offending trousers were dispatched to you with our full knowledge that they were inadequate so far as length was concerned.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
