offend
verb
of·fend
| \ ə-ˈfend
\
\
offended;
offending;
offends
Definition of offend
1a
: to transgress (see transgress sense transitive 1) the moral or divine law : sin
if it be a sin to covet honor, I am the most offending soul alive— William Shakespeare
b
: to violate a law or rule : do wrong
offend against the law
2a
: to cause difficulty, discomfort, or injury
took off his shoe and removed the offending pebble
b
: to cause dislike, anger, or vexation
thoughtless words that offend needlessly
1a
: violate, transgress
a contract not offending a statute … might still be in restraint of trade— C. A. Cooke
b
: to cause pain to : hurt
tasteless billboards that offend the eye
2
obsolete
: to cause to sin or fall
3
: to cause (a person or group) to feel hurt, angry, or upset by something said or done
was offended by their language She carefully worded her comments so as not to offend anyone.
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Synonyms for offend
Synonyms
err, fall, sin, stray, transgress, trespass, wander
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Examples of offend in a Sentence
His comments about minority groups offended many of us.
She had carefully worded her comments so as not to offend anyone.
It offends me that you would make such a remark.
Don't worry. I wasn't offended.
I felt a little offended by their lack of respect.
Some people are offended by the song's lyrics.
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you.
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend.
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Recent Examples on the Web
But before you get offended about it, know that the same goes for White Claw. — Lauren Saria, azcentral, "We tried Pabst Blue Ribbon's Stronger Seltzer and Hard Coffee. Here's what they taste like," 6 Sep. 2019 The prospect of having to write from the perspective of a white racist woman offended some students who experienced discrimination, while others grappled with whether using racist language would be considered historically accurate or inappropriate. — James Vaznis, BostonGlobe.com, "Controversial MCAS question hurt scores of some black students, study finds," 30 Aug. 2019 The decision to be demure, to rely on colors that do not offend or call attention, is tied up in class-specific ideas of propriety and respectability. — Cate Young, Vox, "Claws is a love letter to the proud, strip mall–fabulous American woman," 2 Aug. 2019 Although now that Kim has officially addressed the critics and will need to carefully select a new name that doesn't offend an entire culture, the wait might end up being a bit longer than originally anticipated. — Mekita Rivas, refinery29.com, "Kim Kardashian Is Changing The Name Of Her Shapewear Line After Backlash," 3 July 2019 Braddock also was banned from the Senate floor this past session for tweeting something that offended Patrick. — Dallas News, "Michael Quinn Sullivan's secret audio of Texas House speaker blurs line between journalism, activism," 22 Aug. 2019 While the amicus brief filed by Whitehouse and his fellow senators may offend some with its feisty tone, the impetus for it is one that many Americans, concerned with the proliferation of mass shootings and gun violence, will no doubt understand. — Ephrat Livni, Quartz, "A gun law case before the US Supreme Court has Americans up in arms," 17 Aug. 2019 The tour’s pace-of-play rules focus on the position of groups rather than the offending player. — Teddy Greenstein, chicagotribune.com, "A solution for slow play on the PGA Tour? ‘Throw a shot clock out there,’ TV analyst Paul Azinger says," 15 Aug. 2019 In the past, federal Environmental Protection Agency officials pushed Colorado to clean up the state’s air and comply with health standards in an offending nine-county area encompassing metro Denver and the northern Front Range. — Bruce Finley, The Denver Post, "Colorado revs toward an electric car future, compelled by climate change and air pollution," 15 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'offend.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for offend
offend
verb
English Language Learners Definition of offend
: to cause (a person or group) to feel hurt, angry, or upset by something said or done
: to be unpleasant to (someone or something)
formal
: to do wrong : to be against what people believe is acceptable or proper
See the full definition for offend in the English Language Learners Dictionary
offend
verb
of·fend
| \ ə-ˈfend
\
\
offended;
offending
Kids Definition of offend
1
: to hurt the feelings of or insult
She uses language that offends people.
2
: to do wrong
Is the released prisoner likely to offend again?