Word
offspring
Phoneticsoff·spring, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈɔfsˌpɹɪŋ/
UK/ˈɒfspɹɪŋ/
Definitions
01children or young animals
B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun
n. the children of a person or the young of an animal.
n. the immediate progeny of a human or animal parent. Often used as a collective singular or plural noun.
日本語:子※
“The birds were busy finding worms to feed their hungry offspring.”
“Biologists observed that the female bear was fiercely protective of her offspring during their first winter in the wild.”
02descendants
C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Formal
n. the people who come from a specific family line over many years.
n. the descendants of a person or family line, spanning multiple generations.
日本語:子孫※
“The museum has a portrait of the duke and all his offspring.”
“The legal document specified that the estate should be divided equally among the legitimate offspring of the deceased.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
03a result or product
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Literary
n. something that is created or produced as a result of an effort.
n. a figurative result, product, or outcome of a particular process or creative effort.
“The new law was the offspring of many months of hard work.”
“The revolutionary design was the offspring of a unique collaboration between architects and environmental scientists.”
04a child process
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Computing Technical
n. a computer process that is started by another process.
n. a process initiated or spawned by a parent process within an operating system.
“If the main program crashes, the offspring processes might keep running.”
“The system administrator noticed that the server was struggling because too many offspring processes were consuming the available memory.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “offspring” in context.
Verb
01. produce offspring
“Many species of birds migrate thousands of miles to find a safe place to produce offspring.”
verb + noun
Real-World Examples
“This arrangement can make sisters more closely related to one another than they are to their own offspring.” “He sounded a little like a proud father wanting to play down the achievements of his offspring – and failing.” “These can lead to a weakened immune system, increased mortality and aborted offspring.” Etymology
From Middle English ofspring, from Old English ofspring (“offspring, descendants, posterity”), equivalent to off- + spring. Compare Icelandic afspringur (“offspring”). More at off, spring.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Related words
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
- Updated
- アルファベット
- 読み方の一覧 →
QR code
englishreference.com/q/offspring
※ 機械で選んだ訳語です。ネイティブスピーカーによる確認はまだです。
「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0