offend meaning
offend :
to insult, to upset someone
verb
▪ He offended his friend with his words.
▪ He upset his friend with what he said.
▪ She offended the audience with her joke.
▪ She upset the audience with her joke.
paraphrasing
▪ insult – upset
▪ displease – make unhappy
▪ affront – insult someone
▪ offend – cause offense
Pronunciation
offend [əˈfɛnd]
The stress is on the second syllable 'fend' and sounds like 'uh-fend'.
Common phrases and grammar about offend
offend - Common meaning
verb
to insult, to upset someone
Part of Speech Changes for "offend"
▪ offense (noun) – an unwanted act, violating a rule
▪ offensive (adjective) – rude or insulting
Common Expressions with "offend"
▪ offend someone – insult or upset a person
▪ offend the law – violate a rule or law
▪ offend public decency – violate acceptable standards
▪ offend a rule – break a regulation
Important examples of offend in TOEIC
Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test
In TOEIC vocabulary questions, offend is often used to describe someone being insulted or upset.
Example of a confusing word: defend (to protect)
Grammar examples from the TOEIC test
In TOEIC grammar questions, offend is used as a transitive verb, needing a direct object.
offend
Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC
offend someone
'insult or upset a person', used when discussing interpersonal issues.
take offense
means 'to feel insulted or upset', used when someone feels hurt by something.
Differences between similar words and offend
offend
,
insult
differences
Offend means to upset someone, while insult means to say something rude directly.
offend
,
displease
differences
Offend means to cause upset feelings, while displease means to make someone unhappy.
Words with the same origin as offend
The origin of offend
offend comes from the Latin 'offendere', which means 'to strike against' or 'to violate'.
Word structure
It has the prefix 'of' (against), root 'fend' (to strike), and no suffix, so offend means 'to strike against'.
Words with the same origin
The root of offend is 'fend' (to strike). Words with the same root include defend (to protect) and fend (to support oneself).
