offence
gb/ɔfəns/ us/ɔfəns/
B1
English
~ 1700
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B1
action
1
illegal or punishable act
An action that is against the law or rules.
Usage pattern:
commit [an offence]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'offence' with 'offense' (American spelling). Both mean the same thing but are used in different regions.
Synonyms
crime (General term for an illegal act; often more serious.)
|
violation (Focuses on breaking a rule or law, not always criminal.)
Antonyms
compliance (Following the law or rules instead of breaking them.)
Collocations
commit an offence
|serious offence
|minor offence
|criminal offence
|first offence
Themes
law
|crime
|society
|politics
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- He was fined for a minor traffic offence.
- Fraud is a serious offence that can lead to prison.
- The new law increases penalties for drug-related offences.
- It was his first offence, so the judge was lenient.
- Vandalism is considered a criminal offence in this city.
Learner examples
- Stealing is an offence.
- He went to jail for an offence.
- She paid money for her offence.
- The police caught him for an offence.
Noun
B2
state
2
feeling insulted or upset
A feeling of being upset because someone said or did something rude or unkind.
Usage pattern:
take offence at [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'offence' (feeling hurt) with 'offender' (a person who breaks the law).
Synonyms
insult (An action or remark that causes offence.)
|
affront (A formal term for an action that offends.)
Antonyms
compliment (A positive remark that pleases rather than offends.)
Collocations
take offence
|cause offence
|give offence
|deeply offended
Themes
emotions
|communication
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She took offence at his sarcastic comment.
- I meant no offence by my remark.
- His joke caused great offence among the guests.
- Try to express your opinion without giving offence.
- He apologized quickly to avoid further offence.
Learner examples
- She took offence at his words.
- I did not mean to give offence.
- He said sorry if he gave offence.
- They tried not to cause offence.
Noun
B2
entity
3
attacking side in sports
The part of a team that tries to score points in a game.
Usage pattern:
play on [the offence]
Synonyms
attack (In sports, refers to the part of play focused on scoring.)
Antonyms
defense (The part of a team focused on preventing the other side from scoring.)
Collocations
strong offence
|team's offence
|offence and defence
Themes
sports
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The team's offence struggled against a tough defense.
- He plays on the offence as a striker.
- A balanced team needs both strong offence and defense.
- Their offence scored three goals in the first half.
Learner examples
- Our offence scored many points.
- She plays on the offence in basketball.
- The team's offence is very fast.
Grammar
Dictionary form
offence
IPA
GB/ɔfəns/
US/ɔfəns/
Syllables & stress
of - fence (2 syllables)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: offence
- Variant Spelling: offense
- Plural: offence, offences
Word family
Forms
offense
noun B1
offences
noun
Related words
offensively
adverb
Negative and opposite forms
inoffensive
adjective
Advanced or less common
offensiveness
noun
Highlights
- Spelling Variant: offense Noun
Expressions
cause offence
1/kˈɔz ɔfəns/
fixed phrase
make someone feel upset/insulted
To do or say something that makes someone feel hurt or angry.
Examples
- He caused offence with his careless remark.
- The article caused offence to many readers.
no offence
1/nˈoʊ ɔfəns/
fixed phrase
informal
'I don’t mean to upset you' phrase
Used before or after something that might be rude, to show you do not want to hurt feelings.
Examples
- No offence, but I think you're wrong.
- I didn’t like the movie—no offence.
take offence
1/tˈeɪk ɔfəns/
fixed phrase
become upset by something said/done
To feel upset because someone said or did something unkind or rude.
Examples
- Please don't take offence at my question.
- She took offence when he laughed at her idea.