offense
Other forms: offenses
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.
Definitions of offense
-
a lack of politeness; a failure to show regard for others; wounding the feelings or others
-
synonyms:
discourtesy, offence, offensive activity
-
types:
- show 11 types...
- hide 11 types...
-
derision, ridicule
the act of deriding or treating with contempt
-
indelicacy
an impolite act or expression
-
insolence
an offensive disrespectful impudent act
-
affront, insult
a deliberately offensive act or something producing the effect of deliberate disrespect
-
presumption
a kind of discourtesy in the form of an act of presuming
-
rebuff, slight
a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval)
-
mock
the act of mocking or ridiculing
-
indignity
an affront to one's dignity or self-esteem
-
outrage, scandalisation, scandalization
the act of scandalizing
-
cold shoulder, cut, snub
a refusal to recognize someone you know
-
silent treatment
an aloof refusal to speak to someone you know
-
a feeling of anger caused by being offended
-
(criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act
-
synonyms:
crime, criminal offence, criminal offense, law-breaking, offence
-
types:
- show 46 types...
- hide 46 types...
-
barratry
the offense of vexatiously persisting in inciting lawsuits and quarrels
-
capital offense
a crime so serious that capital punishment is considered appropriate
-
cybercrime
crime committed using a computer and the internet to steal a person's identity or sell contraband or stalk victims or disrupt operations with malevolent programs
-
felony
a serious crime (such as murder or arson)
-
forgery
criminal falsification by making or altering an instrument with intent to defraud
-
fraud
intentional deception resulting in injury to another person
-
Had crime
(Islam) serious crimes punishable by fixed punishments established in the Koran; often spelled Hadd, or referred to in the the plural, Hadud
-
highjack, hijack
seizure of a vehicle in transit either to rob it or divert it to an alternate destination
-
mayhem
the willful and unlawful crippling or mutilation of another person
-
infraction, infringement, misdemeanor, misdemeanour, violation
a crime less serious than a felony
-
commission, committal, perpetration
the act of committing a crime
-
attack, attempt
the act of attacking
-
Tazir crime
(Islam) minor crimes committed by Muslims; crimes that are not mentioned in the Koran so judges are free to punish the offender in any appropriate way
-
regulatory offence, regulatory offense, statutory offence, statutory offense
crimes created by statutes and not by common law
-
thuggery
violent or brutal acts as of thugs
-
high treason, lese majesty, treason
a crime that undermines the offender's government
-
vice crime
a vice that is illegal
-
victimless crime
an act that is legally a crime but that seem to have no victims
-
war crime
a crime committed in wartime; violation of rules of war
-
carjacking
the violent theft of an occupied car
-
harlotry, prostitution, whoredom
offering sexual intercourse for pay
-
assault
a threatened or attempted physical attack by someone who appears to be able to cause bodily harm if not stopped
-
barratry
(maritime law) a fraudulent breach of duty by the master of a ship that injures the owner of the ship or its cargo; includes every breach of trust such as stealing or sinking or deserting the ship or embezzling the cargo
-
breach of the peace, disorderly behavior, disorderly conduct, disturbance of the peace
any act of molesting, interrupting, hindering, agitating, or arousing from a state of repose or otherwise depriving inhabitants of the peace and quiet to which they are entitled
-
false pretence, false pretense
(law) an offense involving intent to defraud and false representation and obtaining property as a result of that misrepresentation
-
indecent exposure, public nudity
vulgar and offensive nakedness in a public place
-
bearing false witness, lying under oath, perjury
criminal offense of making false statements under oath
-
sedition
an illegal action inciting resistance to lawful authority and tending to cause the disruption or overthrow of the government
-
sex crime, sex offense, sexual abuse, sexual assault
a statutory offense that provides that it is a crime to knowingly cause another person to engage in an unwanted sexual act by force or threat
-
bigamy
the offense of marrying someone while you have a living spouse from whom no valid divorce has occurred
-
capture, seizure
the act of taking a person by force
-
racketeering
engaging in a racket
-
bribery, graft
the practice of offering something (usually money) in order to gain an illicit advantage
-
identity theft
the co-option of another person's personal information (e.g., name, Social Security number, credit card number, passport) without that person's knowledge and the fraudulent use of such knowledge
-
mail fraud
use of the mails to defraud someone
-
election fraud
misrepresentation or alteration of the true results of an election
-
constructive fraud, legal fraud
comprises all acts or omissions or concealments involving breach of equitable or legal duty or trust or confidence
-
collateral fraud, extrinsic fraud
fraud that prevents a party from knowing their rights or from having a fair opportunity of presenting them at trial
-
fraud in fact, positive fraud
actual deceit; concealing something or making a false representation with an evil intent to cause injury to another
-
fraud in the factum
fraud that arises from a disparity between the instrument intended to be executed and the instrument actually executed; e.g., leading someone to sign the wrong contract
-
fraud in the inducement
fraud which intentionally causes a person to execute and instrument or make an agreement or render a judgment; e.g., misleading someone about the true facts
-
intrinsic fraud
fraud (as by use of forged documents or false claims or perjury) that misleads a court or jury and induces a finding for the one perpetrating the fraud
-
cheat, rig, swindle
the act of swindling by some fraudulent scheme
-
larceny, stealing, theft, thievery, thieving
the act of taking something from someone unlawfully
-
extortion
the felonious act of extorting money (as by threats of violence)
-
burglary
entering a building unlawfully with intent to commit a felony or to steal valuable property
-
type of:
-
evildoing, transgression
the act of transgressing; the violation of a law or a duty or moral principle
-
the action of attacking an enemy
-
types:
-
counteroffensive
a large scale offensive (more than a counterattack) undertaken by a defending force to seize the initiative from an attacking force
-
dirty war
an offensive conducted by secret police or the military of a regime against revolutionary and terrorist insurgents and marked by the use of kidnapping and torture and murder with civilians often being the victims
-
push back, rollback
the act of forcing the enemy to withdraw
-
type of:
-
military operation, operation
activity by a military or naval force (as a maneuver or campaign)
-
counteroffensive
-
the team that has the ball (or puck) and is trying to score
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘offense'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
Send us feedback
Word Family
EDITOR'S CHOICE
Look up offense for the last time
Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.
