offense
Americannoun
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a violation or breaking of a social or moral rule; transgression; sin.
-
a transgression of the law; misdemeanor.
-
a cause of transgression or wrong.
-
something that offends or displeases.
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the act of offending or displeasing.
-
the feeling of resentful displeasure caused.
to give offense.
- Synonyms:
- wrath, resentment, umbrage, indignation
- Antonyms:
- pleasure
-
the act of attacking; attack or assault.
weapons of offense.
- Synonyms:
- aggression
- Antonyms:
- defense
-
a person, army, etc., that is attacking.
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Sports.
-
the players or team unit responsible for attacking or scoring in a game.
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the players possessing or controlling the ball, puck, etc., or the aspects or period of a game when this obtains.
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a pattern or style of scoring attack.
single-wing offense; fast-break offense.
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offensive effectiveness; ability to score.
a total breakdown in offense.
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Archaic. injury, harm, or hurt.
Synonym Usage
See crime.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of offense
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English offence, offense; in part from Middle French offens, from Latin offēnsus “collision, knock,” equivalent to offend(ere) ( see offend) + -tus suffix of verb action; in part from Middle French offense, ultimately from Latin offēnsa, feminine past participle of offendere
Explanation
The part of a team that tries to score points is called the offense. If you play forward on a soccer team, you are on offense. If you offend someone — that is you cause them to be upset because of your actions or words — then you may need to apologize for the offense. After all, you meant no offense when you said that disco was dead. How were you to know the guy still loved the '70s? In the eyes of the law, an offense is a crime.
Vocabulary lists containing offense
Set, Hut! Football Vocabulary
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Words Football Fans Can Master Easily
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Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address (1865)
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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:
“It’s just trying to keep myself from being frustrated and knowing that our offense is so good that we’re in every game,” Sheehan said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
It’s a civil offense, not even as bad as a speeding ticket.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
Having the three frontcourt players has been an adjustment for coach Lynne Roberts to find how to implement them all in the offense.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
In a 1986 win over England, Argentina’s Diego Maradona scored the “Hand of God” goal after punching the ball with his fist—an offense none of the officials ever managed to spot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
Forty-eight states and the District of Columbia prohibit people from voting while incarcerated for a felony offense.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
The types of offenses for each tier vary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
Although Soria agreed to one bill amendment, she did not accept other provisions, including the elimination of lifetime bans on Tier 1 or 2 offenses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
The law creating the FTC had specified the offenses that would warrant a firing, but FDR hadn’t shown that the commissioner had committed any of them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Party authorities punished nearly 160,000 people for offenses related to policy inaction, recklessness or deceit last year, a 16% increase from the 2024 total, according to official data.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
They’d gotten kicked out in the last week of the previous school year, I learned, for what the Colonel called “the Trifecta”—they were caught committing three of Culver Creek’s expellable offenses at once.
From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green
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.