offender
nounUK /əˈfen.də(ɹ)/ · US /əˈfen.dɚ/
Etymology From Middle English offendour, offender, offendir, equivalent to offend + -er.
1
One who gives or causes offense, or does something wrong.
- Almost all down trains are late, however; the empty wagon trains are probably the worst offenders and one or two hours' late running by them is not unusual.1961 March, Warren Smith, “The problems of train regulation - a study of operation at Trent”, in Trains Illustrated, page 169:
2
A person who commits an offense against the law, a lawbreaker.
- Derived terms
- habitual offender, juvenile offender, main offender, multioffender, non-offender, offendress, repeat offender, sex offender, sexual offender, status offender, young offender, youthful offender