offset
gb/ˈɔfsˌɛt/ us/ˈɔfsˌɛt/
B2
English
~ 5200
Senses
0 senses
Verb
B2
action
1
to counterbalance or compensate
To make a bad thing or cost less serious by adding something with an opposite effect.
Usage pattern:
to offset [something] (with/by [something])
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *'offset for'* instead of *'offset'* or *'offset by'*. Use 'offset' directly with the thing reduced (e.g., 'offset the cost') and 'offset by' to show amount (e.g., 'offset by 10%'). Learners also confuse 'offset' with 'set off', which means to start a journey or cause something to happen.
Synonyms
counterbalance (Stresses equal and opposite force or effect; slightly more formal.)
|
compensate (Often used with 'for'; focuses on making up for a loss or damage, not always about numbers.)
Antonyms
exacerbate (Means to make a problem or bad situation worse rather than reducing it.)
Collocations
offset the cost
|offset the impact
|offset the effect
|offset losses
|offset emissions
Themes
business
|daily life
|environment
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Higher online sales helped offset the drop in store revenue.
- The new tax credits will offset some of the increased living costs.
- Planting trees can offset part of your carbon emissions.
- The lower rent offsets the longer commute.
- Insurance payments partially offset the damage caused by the flood.
Learner examples
- The higher price was offset by better quality.
- She plants trees to offset her air travel emissions.
- The company used its profits to offset earlier losses.
- The discount offsets the cost of shipping.
Noun
C1
entity
2
thing that balances something
A thing, payment, or activity that reduces or balances the bad effect or cost of something else.
Usage pattern:
[an] offset to/against [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *'make an offset'* instead of *'provide an offset'* or use 'offset' only as a verb. As a noun, 'offset' usually comes with another noun, like 'carbon offset', 'tax offset', or 'an offset against costs'.
Synonyms
compensation (General word for something that makes up for a loss; not always about exact balancing.)
|
counterbalance (Emphasizes an equal and opposite weight or effect; often more formal or technical.)
Antonyms
burden (Refers to something that adds weight, cost, or difficulty instead of reducing it.)
Collocations
carbon offset
|tax offset
|an offset against
|provide an offset
Themes
business
|environment
|core_vocabulary
|finance
Examples
- The tax offset is designed to help low‑income workers.
- Many airlines now offer passengers the option to buy a carbon offset.
- His extra freelance work provided an offset to his reduced salary.
- The savings in fuel will be a significant offset against the higher purchase price.
Learner examples
- She bought a carbon offset for her flight.
- The company used a tax offset to pay less tax.
- The bonus was a good offset to his low base salary.
- This small benefit is not enough of an offset for the risk.
Verb
technical
C1
action
3
set slightly to one side
To move or place something so it is not exactly in line or in the middle, but a little to one side.
Usage pattern:
to offset [something] from [a center/line]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this use with the more common meaning 'to balance an effect'. Here it is purely about physical or visual position, often in technical or design contexts.
Synonyms
shift (Very general; does not specifically suggest moving away from a center line.)
|
displace (More formal/technical; emphasizes moving something from its original position.)
Antonyms
align (Means to place things in a straight line or correct relative position, the opposite of offsetting them.)
Collocations
offset the text
|offset the column
|offset slightly from center
|offset the load
Themes
design
|engineering
|architecture
|space
|technology
Examples
- The doorway is offset slightly from the center of the wall.
- In the layout, the image is offset to the left to create more white space.
- Engineers offset the wheels to improve stability at high speeds.
- The shelves are offset at different heights to make the design more dynamic.
Learner examples
- The text is offset to the right on this page.
- The window is offset from the middle of the room.
- We offset the picture so the wall does not look empty.
- The road is offset from the old path.
Noun
technical
C1
quantity
4
fixed difference between values
A number or distance that shows how much one time, place, or value is away from another, used to correct or adjust something.
Usage pattern:
[a/an] [time/position] offset of [amount]
Common mistake:
Learners may think 'offset' here means 'compensation' in a general sense. In technical contexts, it usually means a specific numeric difference used in calculations or alignment.
Synonyms
difference (Very general; does not specifically imply a constant value used for adjustment.)
|
displacement (Technical term emphasizing the amount one thing is moved from another.)
Antonyms
match (If two values match, there is effectively no offset between them.)
Collocations
time offset
|offset value
|offset of five minutes
|x‑axis offset
Themes
computing
|engineering
|science
|technology
|time
Examples
- The local time has a three‑hour offset from GMT.
- Add a vertical offset of 20 pixels to move the image down.
- The sensor reading includes a small offset that must be removed in software.
- We applied a phase offset of 90 degrees to the signal.
Learner examples
- There is a two‑hour time offset between London and this city.
- The program uses an offset of 10 to find the next item.
- You can set a date offset of one day in the app.
- The picture has an offset of five pixels to the left.
Noun
technical
C2
entity
5
indirect plate printing method
A way of printing where the picture or text goes from a plate to a rubber surface and then onto paper or another material.
Usage pattern:
offset printing
Common mistake:
Learners may not realize 'offset' here is part of a fixed technical term and try to interpret it with the more common 'balance' meaning; in this context, it names a specific printing process.
Synonyms
offset lithography (More precise technical term, especially in the printing industry.)
Antonyms
digital printing (Uses digital files and prints directly on the material without plates or rubber blankets.)
Collocations
offset printing
|offset press
|offset lithography
|offset printer
Themes
technology
|manufacturing
|arts_entertainment
Examples
- The books were produced using offset printing for better image quality.
- Offset presses are still common for large print runs.
- Compared to digital printing, offset printing is more cost‑effective for high volumes.
Learner examples
- The company uses offset printing to make many copies of the book.
- Offset printing gives very clear and sharp images.
- For small jobs, digital printing is cheaper than offset printing.
Verb
technical
C1
action
6
balance amounts in accounts
To use one number in financial records to reduce or cancel another number, for example a loss or a tax bill.
Usage pattern:
to offset [a cost/loss] against [income/tax]
Common mistake:
Learners may use this technical pattern (e.g. 'offset against tax') in everyday situations where a simpler 'reduce' or 'cut' would be more natural. This sense is mainly for financial and legal contexts.
Synonyms
balance (General finance term; does not always imply formal recording against another specific amount.)
|
reconcile (Accounting term for making accounts agree; broader than simply offsetting amounts.)
Antonyms
accrue (To build up amounts (like interest or expenses) rather than using other amounts to cancel them.)
Collocations
offset a loss against tax
|offset expenses against income
|offset a liability
|offset one account against another
Themes
business
|finance
Examples
- The company can offset these capital losses against future profits.
- Travel expenses may be offset against taxable income.
- They offset the loan interest against their rental income for tax purposes.
- The refund will be offset against any outstanding debts you owe to the authority.
Learner examples
- You can offset some business costs against tax.
- The firm offset its losses against last year’s profit.
- They offset the interest payments against their rental income.
- The bank will offset this fee against money it already owes you.
Grammar
Dictionary form
offset
IPA
GB/ˈɔfsˌɛt/
US/ˈɔfsˌɛt/
Syllables & stress
off - set (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (off)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: offset
- Plural: offset, offsets
Verb
- Base: offset
- 3rd Person Singular: off sets, off-sets, offsets
- Present Participle: off setting, off-setting, offsetting
- Past: off set, off setted, off-set, off-setted, offset, offsetted
- Past Participle: off set, off-set, offset
Word family
Forms
offsets
noun
off sets
verb
off-sets
verb
off setting
verb
off-setting
verb
offsetting
verb
off set
verb
off setted
verb
Related words
Advanced or less common
compensatory
adjective
Highlights
- Irregular present participle: off setting, off-setting, offsetting Verb
- Irregular past: off set, off setted, off-set, off-setted, offset, offsetted Verb
- Irregular past participle: off set, off-set, offset Verb
Expressions
carbon offset
1/kˈɑɹbən ˈɔfsˌɛt/
fixed phrase
payment/activity to balance emissions
Money you pay or an action you take, like planting trees, to reduce the same amount of carbon you added to the air.
Examples
- The airline offers passengers the option to buy a carbon offset when they book a flight.
- Many companies invest in carbon offsets to claim they are carbon neutral.
offset against
1/ˈɔfsˌɛt əɡˈɛnst/
fixed phrase
technical
use one amount to reduce another
To use one number, especially in tax or accounting, to reduce or cancel another number.
Examples
- Business expenses can be offset against your taxable income.
- The loss was offset against profits from the previous year.
offset by
1/ˈɔfsˌɛt bˈaɪ/
fixed phrase
reduced by a stated amount
Used to say how much one thing reduces the effect or size of another thing.
Examples
- The higher rent is offset by the lower cost of transport.
- The company’s gains were largely offset by rising fuel prices.
offset printing
1/ˈɔfsˌɛt pɹˈɪntɪŋ/
fixed phrase
technical
printing with indirect plate transfer
A way to print books, magazines, and other things by first putting the ink on a plate, then on rubber, and then on the paper.
Examples
- Offset printing is often used for high‑quality magazines.
- For large print runs, offset printing is cheaper per copy than digital printing.
tax offset
1/tˈæks ˈɔfsˌɛt/
fixed phrase
technical
amount that reduces tax bill
A special amount that lowers how much tax you have to pay.
Examples
- Families may be eligible for a tax offset to help with childcare costs.
- The new tax offset will benefit low‑income earners the most.