give/cause offense
idiom
: to cause a person or group to feel hurt, angry, or upset by something said or done
She didn't mean to give/cause offense.
Examples of give/cause offense in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Religion is the topic most likely to cause offense in India today, though the code is ambiguous on this point too.
—
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 Apr. 2025
The couple had already told their parents of the plan so as not to cause offense, but the rest of the crowd was caught completely off guard.
—Terry Baddoo, USA TODAY, 17 June 2024
These days, Jerry Seinfeld wonders if his show would ever have gotten through all the committees set up to make sure comedy will not cause offense (see, for instance, his interview with The New Yorker).
—Mark Gimein, theweek, 14 May 2024
This interchange is how the brain counters, for instance, the impulse to use rude language with the recognition that such responses can cause offense.
—Robert Martone, Scientific American, 26 May 2023
Running shorter than its advertised length, this revival cuts a lot, eliminating even minor details that might cause offense.
—New York Times, 10 Feb. 2022
Belafonte worked with Jim Henson on designing the masks that Muppets wore in the scene, evoking African tribal masks without using any patterns that could cause offense with religious or national significance.
—Al Shipley, SPIN, 26 Apr. 2023
The rewriting of the author’s books to remove language that might be deemed to cause offense has prompted much criticism and discussion in recent days.
—Victoria Murphy, Town & Country, 23 Feb. 2023
While the major powers struck an increasingly bellicose tone against each other during the Asean forum, regional diplomats were careful not to cause offense to either China or the U.S.
—Keith Zhai, WSJ, 7 Aug. 2022
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Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 Apr. 2025
The couple had already told their parents of the plan so as not to cause offense, but the rest of the crowd was caught completely off guard.
—Terry Baddoo, USA TODAY, 17 June 2024
These days, Jerry Seinfeld wonders if his show would ever have gotten through all the committees set up to make sure comedy will not cause offense (see, for instance, his interview with The New Yorker).
—Mark Gimein, theweek, 14 May 2024
This interchange is how the brain counters, for instance, the impulse to use rude language with the recognition that such responses can cause offense.
—Robert Martone, Scientific American, 26 May 2023
Running shorter than its advertised length, this revival cuts a lot, eliminating even minor details that might cause offense.
—New York Times, 10 Feb. 2022
Belafonte worked with Jim Henson on designing the masks that Muppets wore in the scene, evoking African tribal masks without using any patterns that could cause offense with religious or national significance.
—Al Shipley, SPIN, 26 Apr. 2023
The rewriting of the author’s books to remove language that might be deemed to cause offense has prompted much criticism and discussion in recent days.
—Victoria Murphy, Town & Country, 23 Feb. 2023
While the major powers struck an increasingly bellicose tone against each other during the Asean forum, regional diplomats were careful not to cause offense to either China or the U.S.
—Keith Zhai, WSJ, 7 Aug. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Give/cause offense.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/give%2Fcause%20offense. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
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