different between offend vs offense

English

Etymology

From Middle French offendre, from Latin offend? (“strike, blunder, commit an offense”), from ob- (“against”) + *fend? (“strike”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??f?nd/
• Hyphenation: of?fend
• Rhymes: -?nd

Verb

offend (third-person singular simple present offends, present participle offending, simple past and past participle offended)

1. (transitive) To hurt the feelings of; to displease; to make angry; to insult.
   • 1995 September, The Playboy Interview: Cindy Crawford, Playboy

     One day my girlfriend, her boyfriend and I were sunbathing topless because that's Barbados - you can wear nothing if you want. And the Pepsi guy walks up and with my agent to meet us for lunch. I wondered if I should put on my top because I have a business relationship with him. I didn't want him to get offended because the rest of the beach had seen me with my top off.

2. (intransitive) To feel or become offended; to take insult.

3. (transitive) To physically harm, pain.

4. (transitive) To annoy, cause discomfort or resent.

5. (intransitive) To sin, transgress divine law or moral rules.
6. (transitive) To transgress or violate a law or moral requirement.
7. (obsolete, transitive, archaic, biblical) To cause to stumble; to cause to sin or to fall.
   • 1896, Adolphus Frederick Schauffler, Select Notes on the International Sunday School Lessons, W. A. Wilde company, Page 161,

     "If any man offend not (stumbles not, is not tripped up) in word, the same is a perfect man."

   • New Testament, Matthew 5:29 (Sermon on the Mount),

     "If thine eye offend thee, pluck it out."

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:offend.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:offend

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Further reading

• offend in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• offend in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• end off

English

Alternative forms

• (British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand standard spelling) offence

Etymology

From Middle English offence, from Old French offense, from Latin offensa (“a striking against; displeasure; injury”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??f?ns/
• (team sports senses, especially in the U.S.): IPA^(key): /??f.?ns/, /??f.?ns/)
• Hyphenation: of?fense
• Rhymes: -?ns

Noun

offense (countable and uncountable, plural offenses) (American spelling)

1. The act of offending:
   1. a crime or sin
   2. an affront, insult or injury.
      • 1680, John Dryden, Ovid's Epistles

        I have ventured to give my opinion on this subject against the authority of two great men, but I hope without offence either to their memories.

2. The state of being offended or displeased; anger; displeasure.
3. (team sports) A strategy and tactics employed when in position to score; contrasted with defense.
4. (team sports) The portion of a team dedicated to scoring when in position to do so; contrasted with defense.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:offense

Antonyms

• defense (US), defence (Commonwealth)

Derived terms

Related terms

• offensive
• offend
• offender

Translations

See also

• crime
• sin

Anagrams

• seen off

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?.f??s/

Verb

offense

1. first-person singular present indicative of offenser
2. third-person singular present indicative of offenser
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of offenser
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of offenser
5. second-person singular imperative of offenser

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /of?fen.se/, [?f?f??s??]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /of?fen.se/, [?f?f?ns?]

Adjective

off?nse

1. vocative masculine singular of off?nsus