One who gives or causes offense, or does something wrong.
"The careless driver became an offender by running a red light and endangering everyone on the street."
In plain English: An offender is someone who breaks the law or does something wrong that gets them punished.
"The police arrested the speed offender and issued him a ticket for exceeding the limit by twenty miles per hour."
Usage: Use offender to describe someone who has broken the law rather than simply caused an annoyance. This term is more formal and serious than synonyms like troublemaker when referring to legal violations.
Example Sentences
"The police arrested the speed offender and issued him a ticket for exceeding the limit by twenty miles per hour."noun
"The store security guard arrested the shoplifter after finding him to be an offender of theft laws."noun
"Many people believe that treating minor offenders with compassion helps reduce recidivism in society."noun
"He was sentenced to community service for being a repeat offender who ignored previous warnings from his parole officer."noun
The word entered Middle English as offendour, formed by adding the suffix -er to the verb offend. This construction simply indicated a person who committed an offense.