1
: coming or moving away from the shore toward the water
an offshore breeze
2
a
: situated off the shore but within waters under a country's control
offshore fisheries
b
: distant from the shore compare inshore
3
: situated or operating in a foreign country
offshore mutual funds
offshore banking
off·shore
ˈȯf-ˌshȯr 
: off the shore of
Examples of offshore in a Sentence
Adjective
We sailed to an offshore island.
He works on an offshore oil rig.
They opened an offshore bank account.
He traced the money to an offshore investment company.
Recent Examples on the Web
Bill Kearney, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
Stop thinking 'offshore,' start building ecosystems.
—Kevin Cushnie, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Gregory Barber, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
Getty Images What To Know SpaceX's expansion plan includes building out infrastructure for Starship, its fully reusable launch system, and could involve landing operations at Kennedy Space Center or on offshore drone ships.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
Jeremy Beaman, Washington Examiner, 16 Jan. 2023
The storm began organizing Friday offshore the Carolinas when two disturbances along the jet stream merged over the Southeast.
—Washington Post, 30 Jan. 2022
See All Example Sentences for offshore
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Adverb
Traps at that depth would be 10 to 20 miles offshore on the Gulf coast.
—Bill Kearney, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
Stop thinking 'offshore,' start building ecosystems.
—Kevin Cushnie, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Sometimes these tipping points arrive at a national scale, such as in the elimination of coal power or the uptake of offshore wind.
—Gregory Barber, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
Getty Images What To Know SpaceX's expansion plan includes building out infrastructure for Starship, its fully reusable launch system, and could involve landing operations at Kennedy Space Center or on offshore drone ships.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
Preposition
The Outer Continental Shelf offshore Maine is virgin water for wind.
—Jeremy Beaman, Washington Examiner, 16 Jan. 2023
The storm began organizing Friday offshore the Carolinas when two disturbances along the jet stream merged over the Southeast.
—Washington Post, 30 Jan. 2022
See All Example Sentences for offshore
Cite this Entry
“Offshore.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/offshore. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
offshore
1 of 2 adverb
off·shore
ˈȯf-ˈshō(ə)r
-ˈshȯ(ə)r
: from the shore : at a distance from the shore
offshore
2 of 2 adjective
off·shore
ˈȯf-ˌshō(ə)r
-ˌshȯ(ə)r
1
: coming or moving away from the shore
an offshore breeze
2
: located off the shore
offshore islands
an offshore oil rig
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