offended; offending; offends
1
a
: to transgress (see transgress sense transitive 1) the moral or divine law : sin
if it be a sin to covet honor, I am the most offending soul alive—
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
b
: to violate a law or rule : do wrong
offend against the law
2
a
: to cause difficulty, discomfort, or injury
took off his shoe and removed the offending pebble
b
: to cause dislike, anger, or vexation
thoughtless words that offend needlessly
1
a
: violate, transgress
a contract not offending a statute … might still be in restraint of trade—C. A. Cooke
C. A. Cooke
b
: to cause pain to : hurt
tasteless billboards that offend the eye
2
obsolete
: to cause to sin or fall
3
: to cause (a person or group) to feel hurt, angry, or upset by something said or done
was offended by their language
She carefully worded her comments so as not to offend anyone.
offender
noun
Examples of offend in a Sentence
His comments about minority groups offended many of us.
She had carefully worded her comments so as not to offend anyone.
It offends me that you would make such a remark.
Don't worry. I wasn't offended.
I felt a little offended by their lack of respect.
Some people are offended by the song's lyrics.
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you.
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend.
Recent Examples on the Web
Patterson, who identifies as conservative and cast an early ballot for Trump-Vance, said she was not offended by Hinchliffe's joke about Puerto Rico.
—Daniel Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 31 Oct. 2024
Most concluded that what had happened was that the paper’s owner, Jeff Bezos, who has plenty of business with the federal government, and with the election approaching, dared not offend Donald Trump.
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2024
In an interview with PEOPLE, Adler shared her reaction to the skit, saying she wasn't offended, but had one critique.
—Athena Sobhan, People.com, 24 Oct. 2024
To him, Roth appeared to be offended by such a suggestion, and Van Halen wasn't having it.
—Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 21 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for offend 
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
Daniel Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 31 Oct. 2024
Most concluded that what had happened was that the paper’s owner, Jeff Bezos, who has plenty of business with the federal government, and with the election approaching, dared not offend Donald Trump.
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2024
In an interview with PEOPLE, Adler shared her reaction to the skit, saying she wasn't offended, but had one critique.
—Athena Sobhan, People.com, 24 Oct. 2024
To him, Roth appeared to be offended by such a suggestion, and Van Halen wasn't having it.
—Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 21 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for offend
Dictionary Entries Near offend
Cite this Entry
“Offend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/offend. Accessed 9 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Legal Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share