Noun: offense u'fen(t)s or 'ó,fen(t)s
Usage: US (elsewhere: offence)
Usage: US (elsewhere: offence)
- An act that breaks a law or violates accepted standards
"It is an offense to steal"; "His remarks were an offense to common decency";
- offence [Brit, Cdn]
- A lack of politeness; a failure to show regard for others; wounding the feelings of others
"His offense at the dinner party shocked everyone";
- discourtesy, offence [Brit, Cdn], offensive activity
- A feeling of anger caused by being offended
"he took offense at my question";
- umbrage, offence [Brit, Cdn]
- An attacking strategy or action, especially in sports or military operations
"The army launched an offense at dawn";
- offence [Brit, Cdn], offensive
- The team that has the ball (or puck) and is trying to score
"The offense struggled to break through the opponent's strong defense";
- offence [Brit, Cdn]
Derived forms: offenses
Type of: anger, behavior [US], behaviour [Brit, Cdn], choler, conduct, doings, evildoing, ire, military operation, op [informal], operation, squad, team, transgression
Antonym: defense [US]
Encyclopedia: Offense