offshore

1 of 3

adverb

off·​shore ˈȯf-ˈshȯr How to pronounce offshore (audio)
Synonyms of offshorenext
1
: from the shore : seaward
also : at a distance from the shore
anchored about a mile offshore
2
: outside the country : abroad
banking offshore

offshore

2 of 3

adjective

off·​shore ˈȯf-ˌshȯr How to pronounce offshore (audio)
1
: coming or moving away from the shore toward the water
an offshore breeze
2
a
: situated off the shore but within waters under a country's control
offshore fisheries
b
: distant from the shore compare inshore
3
: situated or operating in a foreign country
offshore mutual funds
offshore banking

offshore

3 of 3

preposition

off·​shore ˈȯf-ˌshȯr How to pronounce offshore (audio)
: off the shore of

Synonyms of offshore

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Adjective

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Examples of offshore in a Sentence

Adjective We sailed to an offshore island. He works on an offshore oil rig. They opened an offshore bank account. He traced the money to an offshore investment company.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adverb
There's currently no 100-MW Kraaken bobbing offshore, powering 32,000 homes, at least for now. — New Atlas, 4 Sep. 2026 Farther east, Tropical Storm Marie is forecast to stay well offshore of the Baja Peninsula of Mexico. — Doyle Rice, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
Adjective
About 600,000 residents have been evacuated from risky offshore and onshore areas in Fujian as of Friday night, Xinhua reported. — ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026 The concept combines offshore power generation, a desalination facility, and an AI data center into one large floating vessel that can sail away when required. — New Atlas, 4 Sep. 2026
Preposition
The Outer Continental Shelf offshore Maine is virgin water for wind. — Jeremy Beaman, Washington Examiner, 16 Jan. 2023 The storm began organizing Friday offshore the Carolinas when two disturbances along the jet stream merged over the Southeast. — Washington Post, 30 Jan. 2022 See All Example Sentences for offshore

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

1720, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1769, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Preposition

1942, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of offshore was in 1720

Rhymes for offshore

See All Rhymes for offshore

Browse Nearby Words

offshoot
offshore
offshore bar
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Cite this Entry

“Offshore.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/offshore. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

offshore

1 of 2 adverb
off·​shore ˈȯf-ˈshō(ə)r How to pronounce offshore (audio)
-ˈshȯ(ə)r
: from the shore : at a distance from the shore

offshore

2 of 2 adjective
off·​shore ˈȯf-ˌshō(ə)r How to pronounce offshore (audio)
-ˌshȯ(ə)r
1
: coming or moving away from the shore
an offshore breeze
2
: located off the shore
offshore islands
an offshore oil rig
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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