offence

/əˈfens/ (bre, ipa) · /əˈfens/ (ame, ipa)

offence — 名詞

  • offencesingular
  • offencesplural

1. An action that breaks the law and can be punished by a court of law.

1.名詞B2
釋義

罪行；違法

違反法律並可受懲罰的行為

An action that breaks the law and can be punished by a court of law.

例句

Rachid was arrested for a minor drug offence and spent the night in a cell.

Rachid 因一宗輕微毒品罪行被捕，在拘留所待了一整晚。

collocation: minor offence / serious offence

The new law makes it a criminal offence to use a phone while driving.

新法規定開車時使用手機屬於刑事罪行。

pattern: it [be] + a [adjective] offence + to-infinitive

同義詞
  • crime

    the broadest term for any unlawful act punishable by law

  • violation

    a breach of a specific rule or law, often less severe than a crime

  • misdemeanour

    a minor criminal offence, less serious than a felony (used mainly in US law)

反義詞
  • defence

    the legal argument or action taken to prove innocence

用法筆記

Frequently modified by an adjective describing the type or severity of the act (e.g. criminal, minor, serious, first).

常見錯誤

❌He committed a crime offence.
✅He committed a criminal offence.
💡'crime' is a noun; the adjective form 'criminal' is needed before 'offence'.

2. Feelings of being hurt, annoyed, or insulted that arise when someone behaves rud

2.名詞B2
釋義

冒犯；不悅

因他人言行而感到受傷或生氣

Feelings of being hurt, annoyed, or insulted that arise when someone behaves rudely or shows a lack of respect.

例句

Christopher didn't mean to cause offence, but his joke about Emily's accent was poorly chosen.

Christopher 無意冒犯，但他拿 Emily 口音開的玩笑確實不恰當。

collocation: cause offence

Élise took offence at the remark and refused to speak to her colleague all day.

Élise 對那句話感到不悅，一整天都不肯跟同事說話。

collocation: take offence at [something]

同義詞
  • umbrage

    formal synonym; 'take umbrage at' means the same as 'take offence at'

  • resentment

    a longer-lasting feeling of bitterness, not just a reaction to a single remark

反義詞
  • amusement

    finding something funny rather than insulting

用法筆記

Common in the fixed expressions 'cause offence', 'take offence (at)', and 'give offence'. The subject causing the offence can be a person, remark, action, or joke. Frequently used in negative or cautionary contexts ('without meaning to cause offence').

常見錯誤

❌She took offence of his words.
✅She took offence at his words.
💡the correct preposition after 'take offence' is 'at', not 'of'.

3. A polite phrase said before or after a remark, signalling that the speaker has n

3.名詞
釋義

無冒犯意

表示無意冒犯對方的禮貌用語

A polite phrase said before or after a remark, signalling that the speaker has no wish to hurt or annoy the listener.

例句

No offence, Romi, but I think we need a completely fresh approach to this problem.

無冒犯之意，Romi，但我覺得我們需要一個全新的方法來處理這個問題。

fixed phrase: 'No offence, [name], but…'

Imran meant no offence about the dish; he was simply surprised by the unfamiliar spices.

Imran 對那道菜沒有冒犯之意，他只是對那些不熟悉的香料感到驚訝。

用法筆記

The fixed response to 'no offence' is 'none taken', which means the listener is not upset. 'No offence' cannot be used to cancel out a genuinely rude statement — it only works when the speaker truly means no harm.

常見錯誤

❌No offence to you, but your idea is terrible.' (sounds like the speaker is using 'no offence' to be rude.)
✅No offence, but I think there might be a better way to do this.
💡the statement after 'no offence' should be a constructive opinion, not an insult.

4. In American football and similar ball games, the side that holds possession and

4.名詞
釋義

進攻方；攻勢

試圖得分的一方或策略

In American football and similar ball games, the side that holds possession and tries to score, or the attacking approach of that side.

例句

Hyun plays wide receiver on offence and has scored six touchdowns so far this season.

Hyun 在進攻方擔任外接員，本季已達陣六次。

preposition: on offence (playing in the offensive unit)

The offence struggled in the first half and could not reach the fifty-yard line.

該隊的進攻組上半場表現掙扎，無法突破到五十碼線。

同義詞
  • attack

    the usual term in British English and in soccer/rugby contexts

  • offensive unit

    a more formal term for the group of attacking players

反義詞
  • defence

    the team that tries to stop the other side from scoring

用法筆記

Used mainly in American football, ice hockey, basketball, and lacrosse. In British English 'attack' is more common for the same concept in team sports. When used as a countable noun ('two different offences') it refers to different offensive units or strategies.