offenceof·fence /əˈfens/ British EnglishBrE, offense American EnglishAmE noun1[countableC]LAW an illegal action or a crimeThe company was not aware that it was committing an offence.
It is an offence to sell alcoholic liquor without a licence.
You may be guilty of a criminal offence.
2[uncountableU] behaviour which makes someone angry or upsetAs a manager, you must know how to handle a difficult customer without giving offence.