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Webster 1913 Edition


Offend

Of-fend

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Offended
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Offending
.]
[OF.
offendre
, L.
offendere
,
offensum
;
ob
(see
Ob-
) +
fendere
(in comp.) to thrust, dash. See
Defend
.]
1.
To strike against; to attack; to assail.
[Obs.]
Sir P. Sidney.
2.
To displease; to make angry; to affront.
A brother
offended
is harder to be won than a strong city.
Prov. xviii. 19.
3.
To be offensive to; to harm; to pain; to annoy;
as, strong light
offends
the eye; to
offend
the conscience.
4.
To transgress; to violate; to sin against.
[Obs.]
Marry, sir, he hath
offended
the law.
Shakespeare
5.
(Script.)
To oppose or obstruct in duty; to cause to stumble; to cause to sin or to fall.
[Obs.]
Who hath you misboden or
offended
.
Chaucer.
If thy right eye
offend
thee, pluck it out . . . And if thy right hand
offend
thee, cut it off.
Matt. v. 29, 3O.
Great peace have they which love thy law, and nothing shall
offend
them.
Ps. cxix. 165.

Of-fend′

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To transgress the moral or divine law; to commit a crime; to stumble; to sin.
Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet
offend
in one point, he is guilty of all.
James ii. 10.
If it be a sin to covet honor,
I am the most
offending
soul alive.
Shakespeare
2.
To cause dislike, anger, or vexation; to displease.
I shall
offend
, either to detain or give it.
Shakespeare
To offend against
,
to do an injury or wrong to; to commit an offense against.
“We have offended against the Lord already.”
2 Chron. xxviii. 13.

Webster 1828 Edition


Offend

OFFEND'

,
Verb.
T.
[L. offendo; of and fendo,
obs.
to strike, hit, meet, or thrust against. We use the simple verb in fend, to fend off, to fence.]
1.
To attack; to assail. [Not used.]
2.
To displease; to make angry; to affront. It expresses rather less than make angry, and without any modifying word, it is nearly synonymous with displease. We are offended by rudeness, incivility and harsh language. Children offend their parents by disobedience, and parents offend their children by unreasonable austerity or restraint.
The emperor was grievously offended with them who had kept such negligent watch.
A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city. Prov. 18.
3.
To shock; to wound; as, to offend the conscience.
4.
To pain; to annoy; to injure; as, a strong light offends weak eyes.
5.
To transgress; to violate; as, to offend the laws. But we generally use the intransitive verb in this sense, with against; to offend against the law.
6.
To disturb, annoy, or cause to fall or stumble.
Great peace have they that love thy law, and nothing shall offend them. Ps. 119.
7.
To draw to evil, or hinder in obedience; to cause to sin or neglect duty.
If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out - if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off. Matt. 5.

OFFEND'

, v.i.
1.
To transgress the moral or divine law; to sin; to commit a crime.
Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, is guilty of all. James 2.
In many things we offend all. James 3.
2.
To cause dislike or anger.
I shall offend, either to detain or to give it.
But this phrase is really elliptical, some person being understood.
3.
To be scandalized; to be stumbled.
If meat make my brother to offend - 1Cor. 8.
1.
To offend against, to act injuriously or unjustly.
Nor yet against Caesar have I offended any thing at all. Acts 25.
2.
To transgress; to violate; as, to offend against the laws of society, the laws of God, or the rules of civility or propriety.
We have offended against the Lord already. 2Chron. 28.

Definition 2024


offend

offend

English

Verb

offend (third-person singular simple present offends, present participle offending, simple past and past participle offended)

  1. (transitive)  To hurt the feelings of; to displease; to make angry; to insult.
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 6, in The China Governess:
      […] I remember a lady coming to inspect St. Mary's Home where I was brought up and seeing us all in our lovely Elizabethan uniforms we were so proud of, and bursting into tears all over us because “it was wicked to dress us like charity children”. We nearly crowned her we were so offended. She saw us but she didn't know us, did she?’.
    Your accusations offend me deeply.
  2. (intransitive)  To feel or become offended, take insult.
    Don't worry. I don't offend easily.
  3. (transitive)  To physically harm, pain.
    Strong light offends the eye.
  4. (transitive)  To annoy, cause discomfort or resent.
    Physically enjoyable frivolity can still offend the conscience
  5. (intransitive)  To sin, transgress divine law or moral rules.
  6. (transitive)  To transgress or violate a law or moral requirement.
  7. (obsolete, transitive, archaic, biblical)  To cause to stumble; to cause to sin or to fall.
    • 1896, Adolphus Frederick Schauffler, Select Notes on the International Sunday School Lessons, W. A. Wilde company, Page 161,
      "If any man offend not (stumbles not, is not tripped up) in word, the same is a perfect man."
    • New Testament, Matthew 5:29 (Sermon on the Mount),
      "If thine eye offend thee, pluck it out."

Quotations

  • For usage examples of this term, see Citations:offend.

Synonyms

  • See also Wikisaurus:offend

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

External links

  • offend in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
  • offend in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911