offset

To balance a cost, loss, or disadvantage by providing a benefit that reduces its effect.

• The savings offset the cost.
• Higher sales have offset our earlier losses.
• Can the extra income offset the increase in rent?

How to use it: offset something against something (You may offset these expenses against your income.); be offset by something (Higher rent was offset by lower heating bills.)

Similar words: counterbalance, compensate for, balance out

Common phrases: offset the cost, offset losses, offset carbon emissions

To reduce the effect of something by adding something with an opposite effect.

• The savings offset the extra cost.
• Higher wages have offset rising food prices.
• Can we offset these losses with future profits?

How to use it: offset something with something (We offset the higher rent with savings on travel.)

Similar words: counterbalance, compensate for

Common phrases: offset the cost, offset something with something

To place things together so their differences are clear, especially to make something look more attractive.

• White flowers offset the dark leaves.
• Her simple dress was offset by bright jewellery.
• The artist offset warm colours against a cool background.

How to use it: offset something against something (The designer offset bright cushions against a dark sofa.); be offset by something (The plain walls were offset by colourful paintings.)

Similar words: contrast, set off

Common phrases: offset something against something, offset by something, offset a colour

Something that balances a loss, cost, or disadvantage by providing a matching benefit.

• The discount provides an offset to delivery costs.
• They bought carbon offsets for their flights.
• Higher sales offered a partial offset to rising expenses.

How to use it: an offset to something (The savings provided an offset to the higher rent.)

Similar words: counterbalance, compensation

Common phrases: carbon offset, offset to something, provide an offset, partial offset

The distance between something's actual position and another position it is measured against.

• The two lines have a small offset.
• We measured the vertical offset between the panels.
• Adjust the offset until the images line up.

How to use it: an offset between A and B (There is a small offset between the two lines.); an offset of an amount (The diagram shows an offset of five millimetres.)

Similar words: displacement, shift

Common phrases: horizontal offset, vertical offset, offset between something

A printing method that moves ink from a plate to rubber, then onto paper.

• The printer uses offset for large orders.
• These brochures were printed by offset.
• Offset produces clear images on many types of paper.

Similar words: offset printing, offset lithography

Common phrases: offset printing, offset press, print by offset

The difference between a location in computer memory and a starting location used to find it.

• The offset is eight bytes.
• Add the offset to the base address.
• Each array element has a different offset in memory.

How to use it: an offset from something (The value is stored at an offset from the base address.)

Similar words: address displacement

Common phrases: byte offset, memory offset, offset from something

An image made by transferring ink from a plate to rubber and then onto paper.

• The gallery displayed a colour offset.
• She bought an offset of the original painting.
• These offsets reproduce the artist's drawings in fine detail.

Similar words: offset print

Common phrases: colour offset, an offset print, an offset image