# offshore

/ˈɔfˈʃɔɹ/ (US) · /ˈɒfʃɔː/ (UK)

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

## Senses

### 1. located at sea

adjective · CEFR B2

located in the sea, away from the coast.

For teachers: situated at some distance from the shore, typically within the territorial or economic waters of a country.

- The company is building a new offshore wind farm to generate clean energy.
- Engineers faced significant logistical hurdles while maintaining the offshore drilling platform during the winter storm season.

### 2. business/finance

adjective · CEFR B2

based in a different country, usually to pay less tax or lower costs.

For teachers: registered or located in a foreign country, often to take advantage of lower taxes, less regulation, or cheaper labour.

- He decided to open an offshore bank account while working abroad.
- The corporation was accused of using offshore subsidiaries to shield its profits from domestic taxation.

### 3. away from land

adverb · CEFR B2

moving or located away from the shore.

For teachers: in a direction away from the shore or at a distance from the coast.

- The boat drifted offshore after the engine stopped working.
- As the storm intensified, the captain steered the vessel further offshore to avoid being driven onto the rocks.

### 4. to move work abroad

verb · CEFR C1 · Academic · Formal

to move a company's work or production to another country to save money.

For teachers: to relocate business processes or production to a foreign country to reduce costs.

- Many tech companies offshore their customer service to countries with lower wages.
- The decision to offshore the manufacturing division led to significant job losses in the local community.

Usage: The verb is transitive and requires a direct object, such as 'production' or 'services'.

## Examples

- The company moved its money to an offshore account.
- The government is investing in offshore wind farms to generate more renewable energy from the sea.
- The investigation revealed a complex network of offshore entities designed to obscure the true ownership of the luxury real estate portfolio.

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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.