offshoot

noun

ˈȯf-ˌshüt How to pronounce offshoot (audio)
Definition of offshootnext
1
as in limb
a branch of a main stem especially of a plant we knew the rosebush had survived the harsh winter when it began producing offshoots and turning green again

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in derivative
something that naturally develops or is developed from something else opened a shop selling fancy foods as an offshoot of their very successful restaurant

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of offshoot Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan, a small militant group believed to be an offshoot of the TTP, claimed responsibility. — ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026 Since the Heroes offshoot ended after one season, Coleman has popped up on several other big shows, including How to Get Away with Murder, Hawaii Five-0, and Westworld. — Megan Vick, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2026 In 1952 a difference of opinion over membership on the leadership council in Short Creek led to rival factions, one of which, in 1954, became the offshoot Apostolic United Brethren (AUB), the second largest of the fundamentalist groups. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Sep. 2026 Vagmaxxing seems the logical offshoot of a trend that prizes unreasonable, unrealistic body modification to the point of impossible AI perfection and transhumanism—scary enough! — Valerie Monroe, Allure, 21 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for offshoot
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offshoot
  1. limb
  2. derivative
  3. outgrowth
  4. derivation
  5. sprout
  6. derivate
  7. shoot
  8. growth
Noun
  • Your deep veins run within the muscles of your arms and legs, carrying most of the blood returning from your limbs to your heart.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Once the machine has sucked in the shade-giving limbs and age-ringed trunk, a new development rises from the mulch.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of limb
Noun
  • The new approach combines hydrazine with a thiophenol derivative, then exposes the mixture to light.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The leaves and flowers of the plant are particularly rich in kaempferol and its derivatives.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of derivative
Noun
  • Vaccine skepticism is also in some ways an outgrowth of our modern wellness culture.
    — Nicholas Florko, STAT, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Then comes outgrowth, three or four hours of rebuilding the proteins and machinery of a working cell.
    — Canan Karakoç, The Conversation, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of outgrowth
Noun
  • Language itself was an obsession, with many family dinners ending with Davis pulling out his unabridged Oxford English Dictionary to share the derivation of a word.
    — Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Many forms of divination have been practiced historically in Africa, but divination techniques found in Hoodoo have sometimes been of European derivation; for instance, Hoodoo frequently employs cartomancy, or divination using playing cards.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of derivation
Noun
  • But our chief Brussels sprout ambassador is there with another bait-and-switch and says that’s not going to happen.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Since the project started in 2019, more than a million coconut palm trees and sprouts have been removed.
    — Lauren Sommer, NPR, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of sprout
Noun
  • While Apple shares were up more than 4% in trading Friday, all of the derivate plays were trading in the red.
    — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 1 May 2026
  • With unique enough lore and a unique style, Saxon avoids making a derivate fable.
    — Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 27 Jan. 2025
Definition of derivate
Noun
  • The Canary Islands broaden that services pitch to international shoots.
    — Emiliano de Pablos, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
  • During a shoot on a remote island, Lee and the rest of the crew had to lug heavy equipment off boats and across a mountain.
    — E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of shoot
Noun
  • Not surprisingly, the legislation does nothing to curb the growth of compensation and other benefits for college presidents, athletics directors, coaches and staff who continue to be in charge of the athletes under their control.
    — Bruce Svare, Sportico.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Debt acts as a ceiling on private investment, further stifling growth.
    — Masood Ahmed, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of growth

Browse Nearby Words

offsetting
offshoot
offshoots
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Offshoot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offshoot. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on offshoot

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about offshoot

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All