- (British English offence)/əˈfens//əˈfens/[countable] an illegal act
- to commit an offense
- The new law makes it a criminal offense to drink alcohol in public places.
- a minor/serious offense
- She pleaded guilty to five traffic offenses.
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- (British English offence)/əˈfens//əˈfens/[uncountable] the feeling of being upset or angry at something that somebody has said or done
- The photo may cause offense to some people.
- No one will take offense (= feel upset or insulted) if you leave early.
- Don't be so quick to take offense.
- Many readers took offense at the article.
- I'm sure he meant no offense when he said that.
- I didn't mean to give offense to anyone.
- /ˈɒfens//ˈɑːfens/[singular, uncountable](British English attack [singular])(sport) the members of a team whose main aim is to score points against the other team; a method of attack
- The team's offense is stronger than their defense.
- He played offense for the Chicago Bulls.
compare defence
Idioms
See offense in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionaryno offense
- (informal) used to say that you do not mean to upset or show a lack of respect for somebody by something you say or do
- No offense, but I'd really like to be by myself.
- No offense intended, but are you sure your calculations are right?
Check pronunciation:
offense