offend

verb

of·fend | \ə-ˈfend

offended; offending; offends

Definition of offend

1a : to transgress (see transgress sense transitive 1) the moral or divine law : sin if it be a sin to covet honor, I am the most offending soul alive— William Shakespeare

b : to violate a law or rule : do wrong offend against the law

2a : to cause difficulty, discomfort, or injury took off his shoe and removed the offending pebble

b : to cause dislike, anger, or vexation thoughtless words that offend needlessly

transitive verb

1a : violate, transgress a contract not offending a statute … might still be in restraint of trade— C. A. Cooke

b : to cause pain to : hurt tasteless billboards that offend the eye

2 obsolete : to cause to sin or fall

3 : to cause (a person or group) to feel hurt, angry, or upset by something said or done was offended by their language She carefully worded her comments so as not to offend anyone.

Other Words from offend Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about offend

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Choose the Right Synonym for offend

offend, outrage, affront, insult mean to cause hurt feelings or deep resentment. offend need not imply an intentional hurting but it may indicate merely a violation of the victim's sense of what is proper or fitting. hoped that my remarks had not offended her outrage implies offending beyond endurance and calling forth extreme feelings. outraged by their accusations affront implies treating with deliberate rudeness or contemptuous indifference to courtesy. deeply affronted by his callousness insult suggests deliberately causing humiliation, hurt pride, or shame. insulted every guest at the party

Examples of offend in a Sentence

His comments about minority groups offended many of us. She had carefully worded her comments so as not to offend anyone. It offends me that you would make such a remark. Don't worry. I wasn't offended. I felt a little offended by their lack of respect. Some people are offended by the song's lyrics. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend.

Recent Examples on the Web

Morton has apologized for offending anyone and defended her participation in the show. — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, "What Mental Health Experts Want You to Know Before Watching the Buzzy New YouTube Series ‘The Mind of Jake Paul’," 12 Oct. 2018 Clearly the Duke of Sussex isn't offended by the show's less-than-kind portrayal of his ancestor King George III. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "Meghan Markle Just Arrived at Hamilton in a Sleek Black Mini Dress," 29 Aug. 2018 The creamed corn and coleslaw were representations of the classics that didn’t offend, but a little too soupy for my tastes. — Chuck Blount, San Antonio Express-News, "52 Weeks of BBQ: Orly’s BBQ," 6 July 2018 The uproar was part of an ongoing culture war between the left and the right over recent incidents in the media that have offended and angered both sides. — Lorraine Ali, latimes.com, "Samantha Bee apologizes and lashes back at her critics on 'Full Frontal' over Ivanka Trump controversy," 7 June 2018 Yes, there are moments that offend, but Batt finds a precise balance between being snappy without becoming snippy. — Theodore P. Mahne, NOLA.com, "Bryan Batt's divine performance key to comedy of 'Act of God' at Le Petit," 14 May 2018 If the offending student is sent to administration, they are often required to implement zero-tolerance discipline policies prescribed by the school district that mandate suspension or expulsion for various infractions. — Valerie Strauss, Washington Post, "TEACHING FOR BLACK LIVES," 10 July 2018 After the pain increased, and a rash formed and spread across Logan's chest, his parents reportedly found the offending caterpillar and took Logan and the insect to the hospital. — Brittney Mcnamara, Teen Vogue, "Caterpillar Sends Teen to Hospital in "Worst Pain He's Ever Felt"," 22 June 2018 The school disciplined the student, changed the offending student’s class schedule and locker location. — Katie Park, Philly.com, "Anti-Semitic text messages and an alleged threat of school violence. Did a Chester County school district handle the situation correctly?," 15 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'offend.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for offend

Middle English offenden "to assail, violate, displease, hurt the feelings of," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French offendre, borrowed from Latin offendere "to strike against, stumble (upon), trouble, break a rule, displease, annoy," from ob- ob- + -fendere presumably, "to strike, hit" (unattested without prefixes) — more at defend

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