variants
or offence
1
as in crime
a breaking of a moral or legal code
wartime offenses that are crimes against all of humanity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in offensive
the act or action of setting upon with force or violence
combat casualties grew enormously as the weapons of offense became far more technologically advanced than defensive armor
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in outrage
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings
a diplomat never deliberately gives offense
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in resentment
the feeling of being offended or resentful after a slight or indignity
my mother was prone to take offense even at the most innocent remark
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of offense
Their offense is missing firepower, just as the Toronto Blue Jays look poised to run off with the AL East.
—
Don Yaeger, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025
Before the city council voted to approve increasing those fines on July 29, the minimum was $75 for a first offense and $250 for a second offense and hadn't been adjusted for decades.
—Andrea May Sahouri, Freep.com, 29 July 2025
Hilariously Announces His Own Release The issue is Williams will now have to learn his second offense in the matter of two years under a new head coach and offensive coordinator.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 July 2025
San Francisco’s offense showed signs of life by going 4-for-13 with runners in scoring position after going 0-for-23 with runners in scoring position against this past weekend against the Mets.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for offense
Don Yaeger, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025
Before the city council voted to approve increasing those fines on July 29, the minimum was $75 for a first offense and $250 for a second offense and hadn't been adjusted for decades.
—Andrea May Sahouri, Freep.com, 29 July 2025
Hilariously Announces His Own Release The issue is Williams will now have to learn his second offense in the matter of two years under a new head coach and offensive coordinator.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 July 2025
San Francisco’s offense showed signs of life by going 4-for-13 with runners in scoring position after going 0-for-23 with runners in scoring position against this past weekend against the Mets.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for offense
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offense
Noun
-
Video of a fight in downtown Cincinnati went viral before anyone had been charged with a crime.—
Dan Horn,
The Enquirer,
30 July 2025
-
After years of searching for witnesses, detectives tracked down two additional people who provided crucial information about the crime.—
Jade Jackson,
IndyStar,
30 July 2025
Noun
-
The 1972 offensive had been wretched for AP, which was being regularly beaten by its main rival, United Press International.—
Gary Knight,
Rolling Stone,
1 Aug. 2025
-
On Amazon’s earnings call Thursday night, CEO Andy Jassy went on the offensive when asked about the competitive dynamics in cloud computing.—
Kevin Stankiewicz,
CNBC,
1 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
After a two-year spike during the pandemic and national outrage over police accountability, Chicago began to see a decline in homicides in 2022.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
14 July 2025
-
Punishing criminals is an outrage among the progressive set, who work diligently to reframe a prison sentence as little more than a change of address.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
13 July 2025
Noun
-
Bing had complained of harassment and left behind a manifesto filled with resentment.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
31 July 2025
-
Your job should challenge you—not drain you to the point of resentment.—
Sherry Taylor,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
Noun
-
Beijing has also softened its regulatory assault on Chinese technology companies and the property sector.—
Jacky Wong,
WSJ,
6 Feb. 2023
-
Zelenskyy has warned for weeks that Moscow aims to step up its assault after about two months of virtual stalemate along the front line that stretches across the south and east.—
Reuters,
NBC News,
31 Jan. 2023
Noun
-
To say that a two-hour daily commute both ways from Fredericksburg, Va., to Towson will not have any impact on her performance is arrogant on its face and an insult to those (voters) who have to hear it.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
2 Aug. 2025
-
Dimon and Trump have scuffled over multiple topics over the years, and the insults have been personal.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
31 July 2025
Noun
-
The Sweeney ad has been the subject of both online praise and anger for over a week.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
2 Aug. 2025
-
And our film has caused disruption and fierce anger among veteran photographers all these decades later.—
Gary Knight,
Rolling Stone,
1 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The restaurant was a favorite hangout of the Gilbert Goons and the site of seven parking lot attacks, according to beating videos, interviews and police records.—
Perry Vandell,
AZCentral.com,
24 July 2025
-
His campaign has said Trump's online attacks often result in new campaign donors.—
Jolene Almendarez,
The Enquirer,
23 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Offense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offense. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share