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Synonym Chooser

How does the noun offense contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of offense are crime, scandal, sin, and vice. While all these words mean "a transgression of law," offense applies to the infraction of any law, rule, or code.

at that school no offense went unpunished

In what contexts can crime take the place of offense?

In some situations, the words crime and offense are roughly equivalent. However, crime implies a serious offense punishable by the law of the state.

the crime of murder

When can scandal be used instead of offense?

The words scandal and offense can be used in similar contexts, but scandal applies to an offense that outrages the public conscience.

a career ruined by a sex scandal

When is it sensible to use sin instead of offense?

The synonyms sin and offense are sometimes interchangeable, but sin implies an offense against moral or religious law.

the sin of blasphemy

Where would vice be a reasonable alternative to offense?

The meanings of vice and offense largely overlap; however, vice applies to a habit or practice that degrades or corrupts.

regarded gambling as a vice

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 offense The offense remained ice cold, despite being gifted a run, and the bullpen sprung a couple of leaks. Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2025 Over 40 cases have been filed in district court, which hears the most serious federal offenses, including assault, gun and drug charges. Josh Meyer, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025 The offense is bending over backward to not blame the starting pitchers. Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Sep. 2025 The team will not have Tyler Lockett or D.K. Metcalf on the offense, leaving the door open for Jaxon Smith-Njigba to lead the receiving corps. Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for offense
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offense
Noun
  • But within those few episodes is a devastating story about a young boy who commits a horrendous crime that unfolds in excruciating detail, with each episode consisting of a single long shot.
    Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Studies have also shown that the extra hour of daylight has resulted in safer roads, lower crime rates and economic benefits.
    Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The full-scale operation is not yet expected to start in the coming week, and no new advance by tanks to deepen the ground offensive was reported so far on Tuesday.
    USA Today, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
  • In fact, Moscow has recently stepped up its offensive and on Sunday launched its biggest air attack on Ukraine, hitting a key government building.
    Silvia Amaro, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Trump was made aware of the incident on Sunday and expressed outrage in a speech on Monday.
    Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Additionally, where is the outrage from the Mainstream Media on this horrible tragedy?
    Khaleda Rahman Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel Hamnet imagined the relationship between the Bard and his spouse as an intimate tale of lust, compromise, joy, resentment, support, and sorrow.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Her plaintive denials on screen are robbed of any credibility by an inescapable sense of overwhelming resentment.
    Daniel Jonah Wolpert, NPR, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Investigators later confirmed his DNA matched evidence from that case and others, including attacks in Okemos, Michigan, in 1994; Birmingham, Michigan, in 1995; and Columbus, Ohio, in 1997, as well as two assaults in Ventura in the early 1980s.
    Nour Rahal, Freep.com, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Though Smith was charged with four counts of assault for scaring and endangering the villagers, troopers did not say he was involved in his mother’s death.
    Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Young Thug wasn’t the only target, however, as his girlfriend, Mariah The Scientist, also caught a few shots for entertaining Thugger’s insults over the phone.
    Jessica Bennett, VIBE.com, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Bluesky, part of the decentralized internet, is slower paced and caters to niche interests, rewarding internecine fights over minutiae, whereas X is deliberately chaotic, encouraging the gathering of follower-armies and ideological insult-comedy for an audience that may be largely made up of bots.
    Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • But the anger and radicalization have to be managed by Democratic leaders, if not for the sake of the country, then at least to avoid a political backlash.
    W. James Antle III, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Burning anti-establishment anger helped lay the path for his successful 2018 presidential run, with dozens of far-right and conservative lawmakers elected on his coattails.
    Ricardo Brito, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Bin Laden, through the al-Qaida terrorist organization, targeted the United States for nearly a decade before the 9/11 attacks in 2001, utilizing this large and expansive infrastructure.
    Richard Frankel, ABC News, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Polish officials said 19 objects entered its airspace during a large Russian air attack on Ukraine.
    George Petras, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Offense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offense. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.

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