How to Use offensive in a Sentence
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This will again be one of the best offensive lines in the NFL.
—Brian Wacker, Baltimore Sun, 19 July 2023
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The Ravens took the safe route with their offensive line.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 4 Sep. 2023
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The offensive line is a group that’s not about one player making plays.
—Peter Rauterkus, Dallas News, 18 July 2023
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Down 24-20 late in the fourth quarter, the Panthers got the ball back and were unable to score and forced to punt as their offensive line fell apart.
—Andrew Birkle, Detroit Free Press, 10 June 2023
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The Lynx were able to make some offensive adjustments that led to them being able to take command of the game from the third set on.
—Josh Reed, Anchorage Daily News, 24 Aug. 2023
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Hart was going to be the Oscars host in 2019 but stepped aside after past offensive tweets of his came to light.
—Justin Hagey, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Jan. 2024
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UConn had a chance to take the lead, but Aaliyah Edwards was called for an offensive foul while setting a screen with 4.6 seconds left.
—CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
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The Heat grabbed just two offensive rebounds on Thursday.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2024
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The elements played a big role in the offensive explosion.
—Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 23 Mar. 2024
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The Cowboys had the No. 1 offensive team in the league last season, averaging 29.8 points per game.
—Steve Silverman, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024
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Robinson went on to play for the Knicks after being drafted in 2018 by the team and emerged as one of the NBA's best offensive rebounders.
—Christopher Brito, CBS News, 1 Dec. 2023
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He is expected to be a leader on the SDSU offensive line as the team’s starting left guard.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 July 2023
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For all of his faults, Petrino is one heck of an offensive technician.
—Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY, 23 Aug. 2023
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While his early offensive spark should have been a catalyst for the rest of the team, his teammates never ramped up their games.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
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The most straightforward answer is this: Reid and offensive coaches were playing the matchups.
—Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star, 25 Jan. 2024
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This week’s game may come down to which defense shows up at the right time since both squads boast myriad offensive talents.
—James Weber, The Enquirer, 23 Aug. 2023
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Even without pads on, Muhammad was marveling at the sight of USC’s offensive linemen.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2024
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The younger Mortensen is now the offensive coordinator at UAB.
—Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2023
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While some places may have more lenient views towards its use, others might view it as taboo or even offensive.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 12 Oct. 2023
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The New York Giants’ offensive line’s play has been a hot topic and target of criticism for years now, and that remains the case through the first quarter of the 2023 season.
—Scott Thompson, Fox News, 4 Oct. 2023
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Jones is known for his 3-point shooting and offensive game, though he isn’t considered an elite athlete at 6-foot-4.
—Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 29 Feb. 2024
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Never does a team want to send a punter out on the field, thus giving up on an offensive possession and presenting the ball back to the opponent.
—Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 11 Aug. 2023
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And amid the Chiefs’ deficiencies this season — and there were more than a handful — the biggest and most obvious one was the play of their offensive tackles.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 2 Feb. 2024
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So the Heat likely won’t be able to survive another poor offensive night on Thursday.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 25 Jan. 2024
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While all of them ran behind stout offensive lines, and many were part of Super Bowl championship teams, each fell short of reaching the milestone in back-to-back seasons.
—Christopher Price, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Sep. 2023
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He’s grown into his offensive game in the most impressive ways by being patient.
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 July 2023
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Buffalo Bills defensive end Leonard Floyd blew past the offensive line and wrapped up Rodgers, dragging him awkwardly to the ground.
—Philip Anloague, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2023
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Indiana has boasted one of the best offenses in the league throughout the season and currently holds the second-best offensive rating in the league.
—Sam Joseph, CNN, 25 Mar. 2024
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From book bans to the notion that offensive ideas make one unsafe, both the right and the left have participated in curtailing open inquiry.
—Jeannie Suk Gersen, The New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2023
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And most offensive lines don’t have Jason Kelce—the brother of Travis, who is also partly known for his football prowess—at center.
—Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2023
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The progress on this counter offensive, it's been good.
—CBS News, 24 Sep. 2023
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But will name recognition and his face-to-face charm offensive boost him in the polls?
—Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2023
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And if the jargon is outright offensive, like some terms are, this fracture will be all the stronger.
—Byeleanor Pringle, Fortune, 13 June 2023
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The army declared the district clear of the group in 2016 following a series of offensives.
—Time, 31 July 2023
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The Israeli army said 30 Israeli troops have been killed since the ground offensive began over a week ago.
—Compiled By Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 7 Nov. 2023
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Hamas has claimed throughout the war that hostages have been killed amid Israel’s offensive in Gaza.
—Raf Sanchez, NBC News, 19 Dec. 2023
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Israel says 32 of its soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ground offensive began.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 10 Nov. 2023
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But many fear that Israel will only ramp up its offensive once the cease-fire is lifted.
—Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 23 Nov. 2023
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But some observers say African countries should be wary of Mr. Putin’s charm offensive.
—Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Aug. 2023
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For days, Israel has seemed to be on the verge of launching a ground offensive in Gaza as part of its response to Hamas' deadly Oct. 7 rampage.
—TIME, 22 Oct. 2023
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Israeli officials said the goal of their Gaza offensive was to destroy Hamas.
—TIME, 15 Oct. 2023
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At least 77 soldiers have been killed in Israel's ground offensive.
—Compiled Bydemocrat-Gazette Stafffrom Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 28 Nov. 2023
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The trip comes as Biden goes on the offensive, trying to turn the tables on an issue that has been a liability for him.
—Franco Ordoñez, NPR, 29 Feb. 2024
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The Israeli military announced the deaths of two more soldiers, bringing the total killed since the ground offensive began to 161.
—Najib Jobain, Wafaa Shurafa, and Samy Magdy, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Dec. 2023
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And more than 70 Israeli soldiers have been killed in fighting since the offensive was launched, the Israeli military says.
—Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2023
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The offensive kicked off in the spring when the snow had cleared, but by that time Russia had marshaled its forces and taken up strong defensive positions.
—Peter Aitken, Fox News, 20 Dec. 2023
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This summer’s offensive was widely seen as the best chance to claw back territory from the Russians.
—Noah Robertson, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 July 2023
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The enclave is bracing for an Israeli ground offensive.
—WSJ, 16 Oct. 2023
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The tough language adopted by the court, coupled with the requirement to report back to it, added to the global scrutiny and puts more pressure to scale back or stop the offensive.
—Josef Federman, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2024
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But Altman’s charm offensive didn’t translate across the Atlantic.
—Scott Nover, Quartz, 26 May 2023
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Kyiv is incapable of launching a single, sustained offensive that wins the war.
—Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 16 May 2023
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The offensive will be a pivotal test of the U.S.-led strategy to prepare Ukrainian forces with more advanced tactics and weaponry.
—Samantha Schmidt, Anchorage Daily News, 9 June 2023
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However, the collapse of the truce and the resumption of punishing Israeli airstrikes and its ground offensive there had raised the risk of the seaborne attacks resuming.
—Jon Gambrell, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Dec. 2023
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But the timetable for the completion of the ambitious IDF offensive remains nebulous, as do the contours of a feasible endgame for Gaza.
—Shalom Lipner, Foreign Affairs, 29 Dec. 2023
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Some Israelis want the government to agree to a deal that would free the remaining hostages in exchange for an end to the Israeli assault, fearing that the offensive puts them in jeopardy.
—Hiba Yazbek, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2024
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Cal should be more dynamic on offensive this year, so the Ducks need to contain Ott and, most likely, a mobile quarterback.
—oregonlive, 1 Aug. 2023
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Both the United States and China have launched diplomatic offensives.
—Jianli Yang, National Review, 23 Dec. 2023
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But Bishop Chow remained optimistic and backed the pope’s give-no-offense offensive.
—Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2023
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Israel began a war on Gaza in response to that assault, with intense aerial bombardments and a ground offensive.
—Ameera Harouda, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024
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Israel’s leaders, however, remain firm on carrying out a ground offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians have sought refuge.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024
Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'offensive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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