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Meaning & use

offsides

adjective, noun·EverydayAmericansport

Last updated

UK/ˌɒfˈsaɪdz/
US/ˌɔːfˈsaɪdz/

“offsides” is a form of “offside”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.

Meanings

  1. adjectiveafter a verbsport

    In some team sports, standing in a position ahead of the ball or defenders where the rules do not allow you to take part in play.

    Grammar: Used after be or go: the player was offsides.

    Patterns

    • be offsides
    • get caught offsides

    The goal was cancelled because the striker was offsides.

    Our forward kept getting caught offsides in the first half.

    The linesman raised his flag to show she was offsides.

  2. nouncountablesportAmerican

    A violation in football or hockey in which a player is in a forbidden position ahead of the ball or puck.

    Grammar: In American English, called an offsides penalty or call: the referee called offsides.

    Patterns

    • call offsides
    • an offsides call

    The referee blew the whistle for offsides.

    An offsides call wiped out the winning goal.

    The crowd groaned when the offsides was announced.

Common combinations

called for offsides
The play was called for offsides after video review.
caught offsides
He was caught offsides by a fraction of a second.
offsides trap
The defenders used an offsides trap to stop the attack.
offsides penalty
An offsides penalty gave the other team a free kick.
offsides flag
The assistant referee raised the offsides flag at once.

Synonyms and how they differ

offside
Offside is the standard form in British English and in most official rulebooks, while offsides is a common American variant.
out of position
Out of position is a general phrase for being in the wrong place, but it is not a rules term like offsides.

Opposites

onside

Word family

offside adjective
the more common form of the same word
onside adjective
in a legal position
side noun
one of two teams or a part of something
offsider noun
in Australian English, an assistant or sidekick

Commonly confused: offsides or offside? offsides or outside?

offsides vs offside

Offside is the standard spelling used in the laws of football, and offsides is a variant that appears mostly in American speech.

offsides vs outside

Outside means beyond the boundary, which is different from being in an illegal position ahead of the ball.

Practice

The goal was cancelled because the forward was ___ when the pass was played.

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