Offside

//ɒfˈsaɪd// adj, noun, slang

adj, noun, slang ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An offside play.
  2. 2
    (sport) the mistake of occupying an illegal position on the playing field (in football, soccer, ice hockey, field hockey, etc.) wordnet
  3. 3
    The side of a road vehicle furthest from the kerb: the right side if one drives on the left of the road. Australia, British

    "My offside wing mirror got snapped off."

  4. 4
    The right-hand side of a working animal such as a horse or bullock, especially when in harness.
  5. 5
    The side of a canal opposite the towpath. British
Adjective
  1. 1
    In an illegal position ahead of the ball, puck, etc.
  2. 2
    Out of bounds. broadly, slang

    "[Verse 2:Kano]:On-sight, thought he was onside, innit. Saw them guys, no shots fired innit. If you ain't real then don't ride, innit. That postcode, that's offside, innit."

  3. 3
    To the side of the road, past the curb and sidewalk. US

    "an offside diner"

  4. 4
    Unfavourably located, from the point of view of the player taking a finesse.
  5. 5
    To the side of a boat, opposite the primary side on which one paddles.
Adjective
  1. 1
    illegally beyond a prescribed line or area or ahead of the ball or puck wordnet
Adverb
  1. 1
    illegally in advance of the ball or puck wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
offsides

Example

More examples

"Messi was very close to scoring a goal, but the referee blew his whistle to say that he was offside."

Etymology

From off- + side. Compare German Abseite (“remote area, backside”), German abseits (“out of the way, apart, aside”, adverb), Dutch afzijdig (“neutral, impartial”).

Related phrases

offside ruleoff sideoff side ruleoffside dineroffside trap

More for "offside"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.