offenses

noun

variants or offences
plural of offense
1
as in crimes
a breaking of a moral or legal code wartime offenses that are crimes against all of humanity

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in assaults
the act or action of setting upon with force or violence combat casualties grew enormously as the weapons of offense became far more technologically advanced than defensive armor

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in insults
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings a diplomat never deliberately gives offense

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in angers
the feeling of being offended or resentful after a slight or indignity my mother was prone to take offense even at the most innocent remark

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of offenses Dawson, a long-time cannabis advocate, highlights the injustice of people still incarcerated for offenses now legal. — Javier Hasse, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026 The defensive coordinator liked the idea of shifting in and out of different looks before the snap to keep offenses off-balanced pre-snap. — Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026 Smith had argued that offenses involving comparable financial losses are often treated as misdemeanors. — Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 31 July 2026 He is expected to be released in 2027, records indicate, and has also been convicted of more than 20 criminal offenses, primarily stemming from a host of cons jobs that scammed celebrities, athletes and other wealthy people. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 30 July 2026 Kindle Vildor and Karon Prunty also allowed touchdowns against the second- and third-team offenses, respectively. — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 30 July 2026 As offensive coordinator in Kansas City from 2018-22, Bieniemy oversaw one of the league's most productive offenses while winning Super Bowls during his tenure. — Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 30 July 2026 Adding an extra right-handed bat on top of a catcher wouldn’t hurt, either, as the Yankees have one of baseball’s worst offenses since Aaron Judge last played on May 31. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 25 July 2026 Cross pleaded guilty to robbery offenses before being sentenced to 188 months in prison during a hearing in March 2025. — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 25 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offenses
  1. crimes
  2. assaults
  3. insults
  4. frustrations
  5. violations
  6. attacks
  7. outrages
  8. resentments
Noun
  • She was charged with two counts of manslaughter, driving under the influence and other crimes.
    — Andrew Brown, Hartford Courant, 1 Aug. 2026
  • State lawmakers argued that schools should not be delaying reporting AI nudes until their own probes end but rather should be required to promptly tip off police, who are better positioned to investigate the crimes.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 31 July 2026
Definition of crimes
Noun
  • The lawsuit claims the store manager took videos of the assaults and ordered employees to participate in the assaults and record their own videos.
    — Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 29 July 2026
  • Russia will likely continue using a limited number of mechanized assaults while relying primarily on small-unit infiltrations.
    — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of assaults
Noun
  • In recent years, Georgia’s State Election Board has been plagued by infighting, feuds, insults, partisan maneuvering and out-and-out shouting matches.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • His tenure came to an end when video surfaced of a drunken Galliano berating other customers at a Paris bar with vile antisemitic insults.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of insults
Noun
  • LaFleur attributed the poor grade to players frustrations over roles and communication regarding critical feedback.
    — Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Experts say frustrations over education and employment are emerging as one of the biggest vulnerabilities for the Modi government.
    — Priyanka Salve,Raksha Murali, CNBC, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of frustrations
Noun
  • The suit alleges violations of her First Amendment rights and that she was discriminated against because of her Muslim religion.
    — Maven Navarro, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 July 2026
  • The case was about violations of UNCLOS, which covers the rights of states related to business, environment, natural resources, and freedom of navigation.
    — Jill Goldenziel, Forbes.com, 30 July 2026
Definition of violations
Noun
  • In recent years and as online culture changed, Hilton toned down his public attacks and appeared to embrace fatherhood and adopt a kinder public persona, even integrating more family-friendly content on his site.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Russia set new wartime records for both the scale and pace of its missile attacks on Ukraine in July, according to data released by the Ukrainian Air Force.
    — Katya Soldak, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of attacks
Noun
  • Look, of the outrages, these are like the least among them, as far as being upset with the administration, with the president.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 June 2026
  • More recently, Tandy Hills experienced issues with ATVs being driven through the park and damaging wildflowers, sparking outrages on social media from people who demanded the city take action.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Mar. 2026
Definition of outrages
Noun
  • That has done nothing to help calm matters in a league whose product is being torn apart by internal resentments and external malignity.
    — Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 25 July 2026
  • Here are the standout tracks whose lyrics provide some unprecedented insight into Abrams' anxieties, relationships and resentments.
    — KiMi Robinson, USA Today, 17 July 2026
Definition of resentments

Browse Nearby Words

offense
offenses
offensive
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Offenses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offenses. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on offenses

Nglish: Translation of offenses for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All