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

transitive verb

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.

Other Words from offend Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about offend

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Choose the Right Synonym for offend

offend, outrage, affront, insult mean to cause hurt feelings or deep resentment. offend need not imply an intentional hurting but it may indicate merely a violation of the victim's sense of what is proper or fitting. hoped that my remarks had not offended her outrage implies offending beyond endurance and calling forth extreme feelings. outraged by their accusations affront implies treating with deliberate rudeness or contemptuous indifference to courtesy. deeply affronted by his callousness insult suggests deliberately causing humiliation, hurt pride, or shame. insulted every guest at the party

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.

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

These 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.

History and Etymology for offend

Middle English offenden "to assail, violate, displease, hurt the feelings of," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French offendre, borrowed from Latin offendere "to strike against, stumble (upon), trouble, break a rule, displease, annoy," from of-, assimilated variant of ob- ob- + -fendere presumably, "to strike, hit" (unattested without prefixes) — more at defend

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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?

offend

offend

Definition of offend

Other Words from offend

Synonyms for offend

Choose the Right Synonym for offend

Examples of offend in a Sentence

First Known Use of offend

History and Etymology for offend

English Language Learners Definition of offend

Kids Definition of offend

offend

Definition of offend

Other Words from offend

Synonyms for offend

Choose the Right Synonym for offend

Examples of offend in a Sentence

First Known Use of offend

History and Etymology for offend

English Language Learners Definition of offend

Kids Definition of offend

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