offset

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "offset" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used in contexts related to balancing, counteracting, or compensating for something, often in financial or environmental discussions. Example: "The company plans to offset its carbon emissions by investing in renewable energy projects."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Lifestyle

Travel

Film

Music

Money

Tech

Sport

Opinion

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Sweetness and acidity are needed to offset the saltiness of the cheese usually eaten with it.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Predatory models are already emerging, with established presses offering open-access monographs alongside the print version for an all-inclusive £10,000 charge to offset a presumed (but not proved) fall in revenue: out of the reach for most individual academics, or many institutions.

The Guardian

A strong conventional oil and gas performance across the board and more modest growth in the clean energy and environment and infrastructure markets in the Americas are expected to offset reduced oil sands revenue and softening demand in the mining market, and in Australia more generally.

The Guardian - Business

In our view, the potential capital return in 2014/15 could be partly offset by lower margins and profits.

The Guardian - Business

The delayed effects of the major falls in the value of the pound from 2007-09 helpedelped offset the damage caused to the economy by his austerity policy: our overseas trading position would have been far worse without that flexibility.

The Guardian - Business

"Some of the strictest conditions in Australian history have been placed on these projects to ensure that any impacts are avoided, mitigated or offset," Hunt said.

The Guardian

Previously, citizens were able to offset the average local rent for a 60 sq metre flat against tax, in the future they will be able to claim back no more than €1,000 a month.

The Guardian

But they can be offset by a more fundamental tendency towards inequality, which is unleashed wherever demographics or low taxation or weak labour organisation allows it.

The Guardian - Books

Police often request schools to help offset the costs of being stationed at a school if grants are not available.

The Guardian

Since coming to power in January, the Greek government, led by the prime minister, Alexis Tsipras's Syriza party, has believed that the threat of default – and thus of a financial crisis that might break up the euro –provides negotiating leverage to offset Greece's lack of economic and political power.

The Guardian - Business

The richness of the bitter dark chocolate is offset by the sea salt, which does a lovely thing to the taste buds.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When discussing environmental impact, use "offset" to describe actions that counteract carbon emissions or other negative effects. For example, "The company plans to offset its carbon footprint by investing in renewable energy projects."

Common error

Don't assume that "offsetting" completely eliminates a negative impact. It often reduces or compensates for it, rather than erasing it entirely. Be clear about the extent of the compensation.

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "offset" is as a transitive verb. Ludwig AI examples show it's used to describe the act of counteracting or compensating for something, often a negative effect, as in, "Sweetness and acidity are needed to "offset" the saltiness of the cheese usually eaten with it."

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Formal & Business

20%

Lifestyle

10%

Less common in

Travel

5%

Film

5%

Music

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The term "offset" is a versatile verb used to describe the act of counteracting or compensating for something, as Ludwig AI confirms. It is most frequently found in news and media, formal business contexts, and lifestyle content. As a commonly used and grammatically sound term, according to Ludwig AI analysis, "offset" effectively conveys the idea of mitigating negative impacts across various domains. When employing "offset", be precise about the degree of compensation and aware of possible misunderstandings about its overall impact.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

counteract

Replaces "offset" by emphasizing the action of opposing something to reduce its effect.

balance out

Suggests creating equilibrium to compensate for an imbalance, differing from "offset" in its focus on stability.

compensate for

Indicates providing something to make up for a deficiency or loss, similar to "offset" but more direct.

neutralize

Focuses on rendering something ineffective or harmless, changing the emphasis from mitigation to cancellation.

make up for

Implies rectifying a negative situation with a positive action, offering a more informal alternative to "offset".

mitigate

Focuses on reducing the severity of something negative, offering a nuanced alternative to completely negating the effect.

countervail

A more formal term for counteracting, suitable for academic or legal contexts where precision is needed.

redeem

Implies recovering from a negative situation, adding a sense of restoration not present in "offset".

negate

Suggests completely nullifying the effect of something, presenting a stronger action than simply reducing the impact.

set off

Replaces “offset” to mean to apply something as a reduction to taxation

FAQs

How can I use "offset" in a sentence?

You can use "offset" to describe how one thing compensates for or counteracts another. For example, "The gains in productivity offset the initial investment costs."

What are some alternatives to "offset"?

You can use alternatives like "counteract", "balance out", or "compensate for" depending on the context.

Is it correct to say "offsetted"?

No, the past tense and past participle of "offset" is "offset". "Offsetted" is not a standard form.

What's the difference between "offset" and "counterbalance"?

"Offset" often implies a deliberate action to compensate for something, while "counterbalance" ("counterbalance") suggests a natural or inherent equilibrium.