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
Matt Nighswander, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2025
The North Carolina coast has been battered in recent weeks by a string of hurricanes offshore, other storm systems and seasonal high tides.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2025
That’s because the offshore low-pressure systems that strike the nation's East Coast share characteristics with tropical systems, Mann said.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 2 Nov. 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
Melissa is expected to move offshore of eastern Cuba this morning before tracking across the southeastern and central Bahamas later today, the National Hurricane Center said.
—Matt Nighswander, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2025
The North Carolina coast has been battered in recent weeks by a string of hurricanes offshore, other storm systems and seasonal high tides.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Developed by scientists at TU Delft, the algorithm can help perform tasks at hard-to-reach infrastructure, like offshore wind turbines.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2025
That’s because the offshore low-pressure systems that strike the nation's East Coast share characteristics with tropical systems, Mann said.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 2 Nov. 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 5 Nov. 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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