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Offense: meaning, definitions and examples

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offense

 

[ əˈfɛns ]

Noun
Context #1 | Noun

sports

A breach of a rule; an act of illegal play.

Synonyms

infraction, transgression, violation

Examples of usage

  • The player was given a yellow card for his offense on the field.
  • The referee penalized the team for their repeated offenses.
Context #2 | Noun

law

A crime or wrongdoing.

Synonyms

crime, felony, misdeed

Examples of usage

  • The suspect was charged with several offenses including theft and assault.
  • The defense attorney argued that his client's offenses were a result of a difficult upbringing.
Context #3 | Noun

general

Annoyance or resentment caused by a perceived insult or disregard.

Synonyms

affront, insult, slight

Examples of usage

  • His comment about her work was taken as an offense by the entire team.
  • She apologized for any unintentional offense she may have caused.

Translations

Translations of the word "offense" in other languages:

🇵🇹 ofensa

🇮🇳 अपमान

🇩🇪 Beleidigung

🇮🇩 pelanggaran

🇺🇦 образа

🇵🇱 obraza

🇯🇵 侮辱 (ぶじょく)

🇫🇷 offense

🇪🇸 ofensa

🇹🇷 hakaret

🇰🇷 모욕 (moyok)

🇸🇦 إهانة

🇨🇿 urážka

🇸🇰 urážka

🇨🇳 冒犯 (màofàn)

🇸🇮 žalitev

🇮🇸 móðgun

🇰🇿 қорлау

🇬🇪 შეურაცხყოფა

🇦🇿 təhqir

🇲🇽 ofensa

Etymology

The word 'offense' originated from the Middle English 'offence', which came from the Old French 'offense' and the Latin 'offensum', meaning 'a striking against'. The sense of 'crime, sin' developed in the late 14th century, while the sports sense of 'breach of a rule' emerged in the early 19th century.

See also: offence, offend, offended, offender, offensive.

Word Frequency Rank

Ranking #3,882, this word is part of upper-intermediate vocabulary. While not among the most basic terms, it appears often enough to be valuable for advanced communication.