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
Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2026
But they were headquartered in Vermont and offshore, in the Cayman Islands — which is legal but puts them beyond Pennsylvania’s reach, a spokesperson for the state’s insurance department said.
—Peter Elkind, ProPublica, 9 Apr. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
The discovery of offshore oil in the mid-1990s transformed Equatorial Guinea’s economy virtually overnight, with oil now accounting for almost half of its GDP and more than 90% of exports, according to the African Development Bank.
—ABC News, 9 Apr. 2026
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
Kit Kovacs, who worked on the Antarctic fur seal assessment, told CNN that as surface water temperatures close to Antarctica increase, krill is going farther offshore and into deeper waters to get to colder areas.
—Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2026
But they were headquartered in Vermont and offshore, in the Cayman Islands — which is legal but puts them beyond Pennsylvania’s reach, a spokesperson for the state’s insurance department said.
—Peter Elkind, ProPublica, 9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Federal efforts to kill the project California must also contend with a federal government antagonistic toward offshore wind.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
The discovery of offshore oil in the mid-1990s transformed Equatorial Guinea’s economy virtually overnight, with oil now accounting for almost half of its GDP and more than 90% of exports, according to the African Development Bank.
—ABC News, 9 Apr. 2026
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 17 Apr. 2026.
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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