Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - offence

(offences) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. Note: The spelling 'offense' is used in American English. 1. An offence is a crime that breaks a particular law and requires a particular punishment. Thirteen people have been charged with treason–an offence which can carry the death penalty... In Britain the Consumer Protection Act makes it a criminal offence to sell goods that are unsafe. N-COUNT 2. Offence or an offence is behaviour which causes people to be upset or embarrassed. The book might be published without creating offense... Privilege determined by birth is an offence to any modern sense of justice. N-VAR 3. Some people say ‘no offence’ to make it clear that they do not want to upset you, although what they are saying may seem rather rude. Dad, you need a bath. No offence. CONVENTION c darkgreen]formulae 4. If someone takes offence at something you say or do, they feel upset, often unnecessarily, because they think you are being rude to them. She never takes offence at anything... Never had she seen him so tense, so quick to take offence as he had been in recent weeks. PHRASE: V inflects