offset; offsetting; offsets
1
a
: to place over against something : balance
credits offset debits
b
: to serve as a counterbalance for : compensate
his speed offset his opponent's greater weight
2
: to form an offset in
offset a wall
: to become marked by offset
1
: something that serves to counterbalance or to compensate for something else
demands conspicuous offsets to the enemy's successes
especially
: either of two balancing ledger items
2
a(1)
: a short prostrate (see prostrate entry 1 sense 3) lateral shoot arising from the base of a plant
(2)
: a small bulb arising from the base of another bulb
b
: a lateral or collateral (see collateral entry 2 sense 2) branch (as of a family or race) : offshoot
c
: a spur (see spur entry 1 sense 4a) from a range of hills
3
a
: a printing process in which an inked impression from a plate is first made on a rubber-blanketed cylinder and then transferred to the paper being printed
b
: unintentional transfer of ink (as from a freshly printed sheet)
4
a
b
: a horizontal ledge on the face of a wall formed by a diminution of its thickness above
c
: an abrupt change in the dimension or profile of an object (such as a bowl) or the part set off by such change
5
: something that sets off to advantage or embellishes something else : foil
The clown was a humorous offset in the play.
6
: an abrupt bend in an object (such as a pipe or a rod) by which one part is turned aside out of line
offset
adjective or adverb
Synonyms
Examples of offset in a Sentence
Verb
Gains in one area offset losses in another.
The limited storage space in the house is offset by the large garage.
Noun
a better performance this time will be an offset to last year's dismal showing
symptoms that were striking for their abrupt onset and their equally abrupt offset
Recent Examples on the Web
The Arizona Republic, 19 Apr. 2024
The willingness of new hires to splurge is more than offsetting other hurdles households face.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
Apple pledged back in 2020 to become carbon neutral by the end of the decade by reducing emissions by 75 percent and offsetting or capturing the rest.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 18 Apr. 2024
Though offset by more lucrative products, the unit costs of pennies and nickels continue to exceed their face value – 3 cents and 11.5 cents respectively, according to the U.S. Mint’s 2023 report.
—Sarah Matusek, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Apr. 2024
But that was before eight bogeys and two double-bogeys, offset by just a pair of birdies, left the 48-year-old Woods at the bottom of the leaderboard rather than the top.
—Dave Skretta, The Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2024
The settlement offset our moving costs and covered our rent increase for the first few months at our new home.
—Gabriela Sandoval, The Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2024
Federal funding totaling $21 billion announced alongside the new rules could help offset those costs.
—Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 12 Apr. 2024
Targeting the rich If Congress decides that some or all the cost of renewed a tax cut needs to be offset, which party has the majority and whether the White House is occupied by Trump or Biden will have an enormous impact.
—David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2024
International companies hungry for carbon offsets have paid big money for biochar made using pre-Columbian Amazonian production techniques.
—Chelsea Fisher, The Conversation, 26 Feb. 2024
Preparing for all outcomes is essential; therefore, carbon offsets are significant.
—Simi Thambi, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
Corsair is also the developer and issuer of the world's leading plastic waste offset program, the CSR Plastic Credit.
—Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2024
Measuring emissions by intensity means a company can technically increase its fossil fuel output and overall emissions while using offsets or adding renewable energy or biofuels to its product mix.
—Reuters, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024
Saari said the pitch – the steep part of the hill – on the second run was challenging Tuesday due to the big offsets between turns.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 14 Feb. 2024
Claudia Herbert, a PhD candidate at UC Berkeley and a specialist on the crossover between blockchain and carbon offsetting, cites the issue of offsets of HFC-23.
—Andrew Kersley, WIRED, 19 Mar. 2024
Youngkin, who withdrew the state from RGGI last year, calls that money a $500 million tax on consumers, arguing that power generators pass on the cost of carbon offsets.
—Gregory S. Schneider, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024
Verb
On the other side, Arnold planned for a modest decline in on-campus enrollment that will be offset in a rise in online students.
—The Arizona Republic, 19 Apr. 2024
The willingness of new hires to splurge is more than offsetting other hurdles households face.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
Apple pledged back in 2020 to become carbon neutral by the end of the decade by reducing emissions by 75 percent and offsetting or capturing the rest.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 18 Apr. 2024
Though offset by more lucrative products, the unit costs of pennies and nickels continue to exceed their face value – 3 cents and 11.5 cents respectively, according to the U.S. Mint’s 2023 report.
—Sarah Matusek, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Apr. 2024
But that was before eight bogeys and two double-bogeys, offset by just a pair of birdies, left the 48-year-old Woods at the bottom of the leaderboard rather than the top.
—Dave Skretta, The Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2024
The settlement offset our moving costs and covered our rent increase for the first few months at our new home.
—Gabriela Sandoval, The Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2024
Federal funding totaling $21 billion announced alongside the new rules could help offset those costs.
—Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 12 Apr. 2024
Targeting the rich If Congress decides that some or all the cost of renewed a tax cut needs to be offset, which party has the majority and whether the White House is occupied by Trump or Biden will have an enormous impact.
—David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Noun
The request to do away with the offset comes amid other efforts to provide relief to Social Security beneficiaries.
—USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2024
International companies hungry for carbon offsets have paid big money for biochar made using pre-Columbian Amazonian production techniques.
—Chelsea Fisher, The Conversation, 26 Feb. 2024
Preparing for all outcomes is essential; therefore, carbon offsets are significant.
—Simi Thambi, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
Corsair is also the developer and issuer of the world's leading plastic waste offset program, the CSR Plastic Credit.
—Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2024
Measuring emissions by intensity means a company can technically increase its fossil fuel output and overall emissions while using offsets or adding renewable energy or biofuels to its product mix.
—Reuters, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024
Saari said the pitch – the steep part of the hill – on the second run was challenging Tuesday due to the big offsets between turns.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 14 Feb. 2024
Claudia Herbert, a PhD candidate at UC Berkeley and a specialist on the crossover between blockchain and carbon offsetting, cites the issue of offsets of HFC-23.
—Andrew Kersley, WIRED, 19 Mar. 2024
Youngkin, who withdrew the state from RGGI last year, calls that money a $500 million tax on consumers, arguing that power generators pass on the cost of carbon offsets.
—Gregory S. Schneider, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'offset.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near offset
Cite this Entry
“Offset.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/offset. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
offset
1 of 2 noun
off·set
ˈȯf-ˌset 
1
: a short shoot arising from the base of a plant and growing flat on the ground
2
: something that serves to make up for something else
offset
2 of 2 verb
off·set
ˈȯf-ˌset
also ȯf-ˈset
offset; offsetting
: to make up for
gains in one state offset losses in another
Legal Definition
offset
2 of 2 transitive verb
off·set
ˌȯf-ˈset
: to balance, reduce, or calculate by reference to another amount
offset the debt against a credit
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