1
: coming or moving away from the shore toward the water
an offshore breeze
2
a
: situated off the shore but within waters under a country's control
offshore fisheries
b
: distant from the shore compare inshore
3
: situated or operating in a foreign country
offshore mutual funds
offshore banking
off·shore
ˈȯf-ˌshȯr 
: off the shore of
Examples of offshore in a Sentence
Adjective
We sailed to an offshore island.
He works on an offshore oil rig.
They opened an offshore bank account.
He traced the money to an offshore investment company.
Recent Examples on the Web
Ron Hurtibise, Sun Sentinel, 29 June 2025
The hurricane center gives a system a couple of hundred miles offshore of Central America a 70% chance of becoming a tropical depression later in the week of June 22, according to Papin's update.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 24 June 2025
Andrew Leahey, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
Qatar, across the Persian Gulf from Iran, maintains diplomatic relations with Iran and shares a massive offshore natural gas field with Tehran.
—Dan Gooding
gabe Whisnant
tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 June 2025
Jeremy Beaman, Washington Examiner, 16 Jan. 2023
Bubbles emerge from a methane seep offshore Virginia.
—Jeffrey Marlow, Discover Magazine, 7 June 2016
See All Example Sentences for offshore
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Adverb
The center says the weather could form toward the end of the week from an area of low pressure developing in the eastern Gulf or western Atlantic waters, just offshore of the southeastern United States.
—Ron Hurtibise, Sun Sentinel, 29 June 2025
The hurricane center gives a system a couple of hundred miles offshore of Central America a 70% chance of becoming a tropical depression later in the week of June 22, according to Papin's update.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 24 June 2025
Adjective
Raw numbers only tell part of the story, as IRS-CI plays a central role in dismantling financial networks behind everything from international drug trafficking and terrorism to pandemic fraud and offshore tax shelters.
—Andrew Leahey, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
Qatar, across the Persian Gulf from Iran, maintains diplomatic relations with Iran and shares a massive offshore natural gas field with Tehran.
—Dan Gooding
gabe Whisnant
tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 June 2025
Preposition
The Outer Continental Shelf offshore Maine is virgin water for wind.
—Jeremy Beaman, Washington Examiner, 16 Jan. 2023
Bubbles emerge from a methane seep offshore Virginia.
—Jeffrey Marlow, Discover Magazine, 7 June 2016
See All Example Sentences for offshore
Cite this Entry
“Offshore.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/offshore. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
offshore
1 of 2 adverb
off·shore
ˈȯf-ˈshō(ə)r
-ˈshȯ(ə)r
: from the shore : at a distance from the shore
offshore
2 of 2 adjective
off·shore
ˈȯf-ˌshō(ə)r
-ˌshȯ(ə)r
1
: coming or moving away from the shore
an offshore breeze
2
: located off the shore
offshore islands
an offshore oil rig
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