Offense

How to spell offense

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce offense

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does offense mean?

1. nounA breach of a law or rule, or an act that causes anger or hurt feelings.
2. nounIn team sports, the players whose role is to score points or advance toward the goal.

Offense in a sentence

• Driving without a license is a serious offense in most states.

• The team's offense scored three touchdowns in the first half.

• He apologized quickly, hoping to undo any offense he had caused at dinner.

• A strong offense kept the opposing defense scrambling all game.

Where does offense come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb offendere, which literally meant 'to strike against' or 'to knock into', built from ob- meaning 'against' and fendere meaning 'to strike or hit'. From that physical sense of bumping into something, the meaning broadened to 'to displease, to give injury', since causing harm felt like striking someone figuratively. The related noun offensa described the resulting wrong or affront, and English took the word in during the late 1300s by way of Old French, where it appeared as offens. The same fendere root still hides inside relatives like 'defend' (to strike away from) and 'fender' (the part that takes the blow), which is a handy reminder that the middle of the word is spelled with an 's' here, while the British variant keeps a 'c' as 'offence'. The spelling with 's' settled into American usage largely through Noah Webster's nineteenth-century reforms, which favoured letters that matched the sound.

How the word is built

• of- (from Latin ob-, against)
• fens (from fendere, to strike)
• -e

British and American spelling

Offense is the American spelling. British English spells it offence.