as in corrects
to balance with an equal force so as to make ineffective
if you get a high grade on this quiz, it will offset the D from your last one
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in counters
a force or influence that makes an opposing force ineffective or less effective
a better performance this time will be an offset to last year's dismal showing
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in cessations
the stopping of a process or activity
symptoms that were striking for their abrupt onset and their equally abrupt offset
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 offsets
Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 18 May 2026
And Republican initiatives to cut income tax rates and bolster a state credit that offsets a portion of local property tax bills also were left by the wayside.
—Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 2 May 2026
But Tirtir’s formula offsets this with soothing Centella asiatica (also known as cica).
—Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 21 Apr. 2026
While customer bills still rise, the CMC initiative partially offsets that cost for Illinois customers.
—Maggie Dougherty, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
The Mex Cube sofa by Piero Lissoni is upholstered in a matching hue, and an Utrecht armchair offsets the earth tones with striking royal blue.
—Ludovica Stevan, Architectural Digest, 5 Apr. 2026
Baby offsets dangle from the mother plant’s long slender leaves, resembling spiderettes suspended from a spider's web.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 5 Apr. 2026
The Yanbu route only partly offsets the hit to supply from shutting Hormuz, through which about 15 million barrels a day of crude shipments passed before the war.
—Emma Ross-Thomas, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2026
The hope is that the large size of the sample offsets concerns about the demographics of respondents.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 Feb. 2026
Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 15 May 2026
Those bulbs spread and multiply by forming little bulblets called offsets, and those grow into larger bulbs.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Apr. 2026
Through an algebraic analysis of the robots’ parameters, such as the lengths of their links and the offsets of their joints, the team mapped out exactly where the singularities lie within their joint space.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 26 Apr. 2026
In these window boxes, the bluish hue of dichondra 'Silver Falls' offsets pink begonias and Madagascar periwinkle.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 26 Apr. 2026
These offsets have allowed Congress to pass larger highway bills even though the HTF has covered a smaller part of the Surface Transportation Program annually.
—Andrew Stasiowski, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
China’s benchmark bonds are heading for their best month since October, as abundant liquidity offsets concerns over upcoming debt supply.
—Iris Ouyang, Bloomberg, 21 Apr. 2026
Lastly, what about those spending offsets?
—Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 14 Apr. 2026
The $10 million Cousins is guaranteed from Atlanta in 2026 is subject to offsets, meaning if the Raiders signed him for, say, $3 million, the Falcons would pay the remaining $7 million.
—Dianna Russini, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
Prestige alone no longer offsets the risks attached to expensive launches and instant global scrutiny.
—Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 18 May 2026
And Republican initiatives to cut income tax rates and bolster a state credit that offsets a portion of local property tax bills also were left by the wayside.
—Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 2 May 2026
But Tirtir’s formula offsets this with soothing Centella asiatica (also known as cica).
—Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 21 Apr. 2026
While customer bills still rise, the CMC initiative partially offsets that cost for Illinois customers.
—Maggie Dougherty, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
The Mex Cube sofa by Piero Lissoni is upholstered in a matching hue, and an Utrecht armchair offsets the earth tones with striking royal blue.
—Ludovica Stevan, Architectural Digest, 5 Apr. 2026
Baby offsets dangle from the mother plant’s long slender leaves, resembling spiderettes suspended from a spider's web.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 5 Apr. 2026
The Yanbu route only partly offsets the hit to supply from shutting Hormuz, through which about 15 million barrels a day of crude shipments passed before the war.
—Emma Ross-Thomas, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2026
The hope is that the large size of the sample offsets concerns about the demographics of respondents.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 Feb. 2026
Noun
In these zones, the fault splits into multiple strands with sideways offsets between them, creating small extension gaps inside the fault system.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 15 May 2026
Those bulbs spread and multiply by forming little bulblets called offsets, and those grow into larger bulbs.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Apr. 2026
Through an algebraic analysis of the robots’ parameters, such as the lengths of their links and the offsets of their joints, the team mapped out exactly where the singularities lie within their joint space.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 26 Apr. 2026
In these window boxes, the bluish hue of dichondra 'Silver Falls' offsets pink begonias and Madagascar periwinkle.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 26 Apr. 2026
These offsets have allowed Congress to pass larger highway bills even though the HTF has covered a smaller part of the Surface Transportation Program annually.
—Andrew Stasiowski, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
China’s benchmark bonds are heading for their best month since October, as abundant liquidity offsets concerns over upcoming debt supply.
—Iris Ouyang, Bloomberg, 21 Apr. 2026
Lastly, what about those spending offsets?
—Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 14 Apr. 2026
The $10 million Cousins is guaranteed from Atlanta in 2026 is subject to offsets, meaning if the Raiders signed him for, say, $3 million, the Falcons would pay the remaining $7 million.
—Dianna Russini, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offsets
Verb
-
Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, premiering May 20 on Apple TV, corrects this oversight.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
20 May 2026
-
The Future Success Profile corrects that at the root.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
Old food debris was found on the floor beneath all cooking equipment, shelves, prep counters and refrigerators.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
May 22,
Sacbee.com,
22 May 2026
-
The country's airports, highways, rental counters and hotel front desks are about to face the first real stress test of the season.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2026
Noun
-
Temporary cessations of hostility, but no permanent closing of the moral and social divide between debtor and creditor, and no giving up on the thought that some lives matter more than others.—
Henry Freedland,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The treatment neutralizes the virus and blocks its ability to enter and infect healthy cells.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
-
Weapon neutralizes threats Known as a soft-kill weapon, the technology neutralizes threats without physically exploding or destroying them.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Seoul’s café culture balances design, craft and ritual at a high level.—
Melinda Sheckells,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
-
The accounting treatment removes the tariff impact from underlying cost of sales and inventory balances and ensures comparability of underlying year-on-year performance.—
Vicki M. Young,
Footwear News,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
In practice the printer ran for about 3 months (including setup and halts), whereas a traditional cast bridge might have taken 3–4 times longer.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
16 May 2026
-
Former leaders warn that the loss of institutional knowledge, combined with halts to the incoming pipeline of public health workers, may lead to a long-term crisis.—
Pien Huang,
NPR,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In a stunning rebuke, the Board of Governors rejected his appointment, forcing UF to restart the search and deepening concerns among faculty and alumni that ideological alignment now outweighs academic credentials in Florida university leadership.—
Garrett Shanley,
Miami Herald,
18 May 2026
-
Federal officials say the need for the border wall outweighs other interests.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
These are all refreshing correctives to the texts that previously stood in for contemporary Japan internationally, including any number of small volumes about magical cafés, bookshops, or libraries, often with cats on their covers.—
Sarah Chihaya,
New Yorker,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Some of these values—such as a disciplined commitment to physical fitness—are good and, in my opinion, necessary correctives to the enervating distractions of 21st-century living.—
Dan Brooks,
The Atlantic,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Offsets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offsets. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
