offspring
noun
off·spring
ˈȯf-ˌspriŋ 
plural offspring also offsprings
1
b
: the immediate descendant of a person or animal : an individual born of a parent
gave birth to a single offspring
"… He was becoming irascible as well, impatient—with me especially, because I was his only offspring [=child]. …"—
Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins2
b
: offshoot sense 1a
… you can hear this Caribbean club music, a hard-edged and party-heavy offspring of reggae …—Lorraine Ali
Lorraine AliExamples of offspring in a Sentence
The show is about two couples and the adventures of their rebellious offspring.
The colt is the offspring of two racing champions.
Recent Examples on the Web
Among the 20-somethings at its center are the Bravo-famous offspring of breakout Housewives Kandi Burruss, Kim Zolciak, Meredith Marks, and Teresa Giudice.
—Judy Berman, Time, 27 June 2025
The study produced another intriguing finding: Ancestral night lizards had very small litter sizes, probably consisting of just one or two offspring.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 June 2025
And, roughly 20 years ago, a team managed to find the right deletion to enable a female mouse to give birth to offspring that received a set of chromosomes from each of two unfertilized eggs.
—ArsTechnica, 23 June 2025
This gene is passed down to offspring at a higher-than-normal rate, gradually reducing the population’s ability to reproduce.
—Krystal Birungi, semafor.com, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for offspring
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Judy Berman, Time, 27 June 2025
The study produced another intriguing finding: Ancestral night lizards had very small litter sizes, probably consisting of just one or two offspring.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 June 2025
And, roughly 20 years ago, a team managed to find the right deletion to enable a female mouse to give birth to offspring that received a set of chromosomes from each of two unfertilized eggs.
—ArsTechnica, 23 June 2025
This gene is passed down to offspring at a higher-than-normal rate, gradually reducing the population’s ability to reproduce.
—Krystal Birungi, semafor.com, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for offspring
Cite this Entry
“Offspring.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/offspring. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
offspring
noun
off·spring
ˈȯf-ˌspriŋ
plural offspring also offsprings
: the young of a person, animal, or plant
Medical Definition
offspring
noun
off·spring
ˈȯf-ˌspriŋ
plural offspring also offsprings
: the progeny of an animal or plant : young
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