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
Donald Trump is not a politician who guards his words carefully to avoid offending anyone.
—Dp Opinion, The Denver Post, 1 Nov. 2024
The offending comedic act equated Puerto Rico to a floating island of garbage, touching a sore spot and potentially energizing key groups of low-propensity or undecided Puerto Rican voters in swing states.
—Rafael Bernal, The Hill, 31 Oct. 2024
When the user asked it to fix a problem on the resulting website, the model returned to the editor, identified the offending snippet of code, and deleted it.
—Will Knight, WIRED, 22 Oct. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for offend 
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Dp Opinion, The Denver Post, 1 Nov. 2024
The offending comedic act equated Puerto Rico to a floating island of garbage, touching a sore spot and potentially energizing key groups of low-propensity or undecided Puerto Rican voters in swing states.
—Rafael Bernal, The Hill, 31 Oct. 2024
When the user asked it to fix a problem on the resulting website, the model returned to the editor, identified the offending snippet of code, and deleted it.
—Will Knight, WIRED, 22 Oct. 2024
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
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 22 Nov. 2024.
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