offspring
noun
off·spring
ˈȯf-ˌspriŋ 
plural offspring also offsprings
1
b
: the immediate descendant of a person or animal : an individual born of a parent
gave birth to a single offspring
"… He was becoming irascible as well, impatient—with me especially, because I was his only offspring [=child]. …"—
Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins2
b
: offshoot sense 1a
… you can hear this Caribbean club music, a hard-edged and party-heavy offspring of reggae …—Lorraine Ali
Lorraine AliExamples of offspring in a Sentence
The show is about two couples and the adventures of their rebellious offspring.
The colt is the offspring of two racing champions.
Recent Examples on the Web
When these chickens breed, their offspring could produce eggs and sperm carrying dodo traits.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2025
At first glance, this might seem like a positive sign, because faster-growing sharks can reach maturity sooner, potentially producing offspring earlier in life.
—Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
This includes communication between parents and offspring and mature animals of opposite sexes communicating attraction, mate choice, and trail following.
—Ashleigh N. Deluca, Parents, 16 Sep. 2025
Somehow, the queen can delete her own nuclear DNA and produce offspring that rely almost entirely on the sperm’s DNA.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for offspring
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Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2025
At first glance, this might seem like a positive sign, because faster-growing sharks can reach maturity sooner, potentially producing offspring earlier in life.
—Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
This includes communication between parents and offspring and mature animals of opposite sexes communicating attraction, mate choice, and trail following.
—Ashleigh N. Deluca, Parents, 16 Sep. 2025
Somehow, the queen can delete her own nuclear DNA and produce offspring that rely almost entirely on the sperm’s DNA.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for offspring
Cite this Entry
“Offspring.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/offspring. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
offspring
noun
off·spring
ˈȯf-ˌspriŋ
plural offspring also offsprings
: the young of a person, animal, or plant
Medical Definition
offspring
noun
off·spring
ˈȯf-ˌspriŋ
plural offspring also offsprings
: the progeny of an animal or plant : young
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