# offender

/əˈfɛndɝ/ (US) · /əfˈɛndɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/offender
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. a lawbreaker

noun · CEFR B2

a person who commits a crime or breaks a law.

For teachers: a person who commits an illegal act. Often used with modifiers to describe the frequency or type of crime.

- The judge decided to give the first-time offender a lighter sentence.
- The rehabilitation programme specifically targets repeat offenders who have struggled to reintegrate into the community after serving previous sentences.

### 2. someone who causes upset

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

someone who does something wrong or breaks a social rule.

For teachers: a person who causes displeasure or violates a social, moral, or administrative rule.

- In this office, anyone who leaves dirty dishes in the sink is the main offender.
- While several factors contribute to the decline in local bird populations, habitat loss remains the primary offender in this ecological crisis.

## Examples

- The police caught the offender shortly after the crime.
- First-time offenders are often given a warning or a small fine instead of a prison sentence.
- Environmental agencies are cracking down on repeat offenders who continue to dump industrial waste into the local river system despite previous warnings.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.