offset
/ˈɒfset/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈɔːfset/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈȯf-ˌset transitive senses are also ȯf-ˈset/ (ame, mw)
offset — 動詞
- offsetpresent simple I / you / we / they
- offsetshe / she / it
- offsetting-ing form
1. to use one thing — usually a gain, saving, or positive effect — so that it cance
抵銷；彌補
用一方的好處抵掉另一方的損失
to use one thing — usually a gain, saving, or positive effect — so that it cancels out a loss, cost, or negative effect from somewhere else, leaving the overall result roughly even.
Higher fuel prices were offset by cheaper food and clothing this month.
這個月較高的油價被較便宜的食品和衣物抵銷了。
passive: be offset by + noun
Maya offset her long flight with a donation to plant fifty trees in Kenya.
Maya 用在肯亞捐款種五十棵樹來彌補她的長途飛行。
offset + noun + with + noun
The factory's losses in March were offset by strong sales in April and May.
工廠三月的虧損被四月和五月的強勁銷售抵銷了。
Sales tax cuts will partly offset the rise in property tax for homeowners.
營業稅減免可以部分抵銷屋主房屋稅的上漲。
Diego hoped his weekend job would offset the cost of his new laptop.
Diego 希望他的週末打工能彌補新筆電的花費。
- counterbalance
more formal; emphasises equal force on both sides
- compensate for
wider use; can apply to feelings or fairness, not just numbers
- cancel out
informal; suggests the two amounts fully erase each other
- compound
to make a loss or problem worse instead of balancing it
文法句型
offset + noun (cost / loss / effect) + by/with + noun
用法筆記
Subject is usually money, savings, gains, or positive effects; object is usually a cost, loss, or harm. Frequently used in the passive: be offset by something.
常見錯誤
2. to make up for the carbon dioxide that your activity puts into the air, by payin
碳補償
用環保專案抵掉自己排放的二氧化碳
to make up for the carbon dioxide that your activity puts into the air, by paying for projects such as planting trees or building clean-energy plants that take the same amount of carbon back out.
The airline lets passengers offset their flight emissions for a small fee at checkout.
這家航空公司讓乘客在結帳時付一小筆費用來碳補償飛行排放。
offset + emissions / footprint
Lina offset her family's holiday flights by funding a solar project in rural India.
Lina 透過資助印度鄉村的太陽能專案來碳補償全家的度假航班。
The company promised to offset every ton of carbon its trucks produced this year.
公司承諾今年要為旗下卡車排放的每一噸碳做碳補償。
Carlos offset his daily commute by paying a charity to plant trees in Brazil.
Carlos 透過付錢給慈善機構在巴西種樹來碳補償他每天的通勤。
- neutralize
as in 'carbon-neutralize'; emphasises bringing the net effect to zero
- compensate for
broader; can be used outside the climate context
文法句型
offset + noun (emissions / carbon / footprint)
用法筆記
Object is almost always a carbon-related noun: emissions, footprint, flights, carbon. Distinguish from sense 1: this is specifically about climate damage, paid for through environmental projects, not general money balancing.
常見錯誤
offset — 名詞
1. an amount, action, or feature that helps cancel out the effect of something else
抵銷項；補償
用來抵掉另一件事影響的東西
an amount, action, or feature that helps cancel out the effect of something else — for example, a tax saving that reduces a higher bill, or a tree-planting payment that balances a flight's pollution.
The childcare credit acts as a useful offset against rising rent for young families.
育兒抵免對年輕家庭來說是抵銷房租上漲的好幫手。
an offset against / to + noun
Maria bought a carbon offset for every business trip she took last year.
Maria 去年每次出差都會購買碳補償額度。
compound: carbon offset
Lower oil prices were a welcome offset to weaker tourist numbers in coastal towns.
較低的油價對沿海城鎮疲弱的觀光人數來說是個受歡迎的補償。
The garden was a quiet offset to the noise of the city street outside.
那座花園的寧靜，正好抵銷了外面街道的喧囂。
Tomas saw his evening run as a small offset to a long day at his desk.
Tomas 把傍晚跑步當作一整天伏案工作的小小補償。
- counterbalance
more formal; stresses equal weight on both sides
- compensation
wider; often involves payment for harm or effort, not just balancing numbers
- set-off
legal or accounting term for one debt cancelling another
文法句型
an offset to/against + noun
a + adjective + offset
用法筆記
Often appears with the prepositions 'to' or 'against'. The strongest collocation is 'carbon offset' (a paid credit that balances pollution); outside that, the noun is most common in finance, tax, and budget contexts.