1
general::
noun illegal act ADJ. grave, heinous, major, serious | lesser, minor, petty, trivial | alleged | statutory | arrestable, bookable, imprisonable, indictable, punishable, sackable The offence is punishable by up to three months' imprisonment. | criminal, disciplinary | driving, political, sexual, terrorist Motorists may be fined on the spot for driving offences such as speeding. | violent | drug-related PREP. ~ against offences against public decencyCRIME (for verbs) hurt feelings VERB + OFFENCE cause, give | take PREP. ~ at He takes offence at the slightest joke against him. | ~ to I didn't mean to give offence to anyone. PHRASES no offence (intended/meant) No offence intended, but are you sure your calculations are right?
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
2
general::
offence
verbs
commit an offence
(= do something that is against the law )
• He had committed the offence of dangerous driving.
charge somebody with an offence
• In that year, 367 people were charged with terrorist offences.
convict somebody of an offence
(= say officially that they are guilty )
• The number of women convicted of serious offences is fairly small.
admit an offence
• He had admitted sex offences against children.
phrases
it is an offence to do something
• It is an offence to carry a weapon in a public place.
an offence punishable by/with something
• Possession of the drug is an offence punishable by up to one year’s imprisonment.
make something an offence/make it an offence to do something
• The Act made it an offence to sell cigarettes to children under 16.
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + offence
a criminal offence
• It is a criminal offence to sell alcohol to someone under the age of 18.
a serious offence
• serious offences such as murder or armed robbery
a minor offence
• The police cautioned him for a minor offence.
a first offence
• Because it was a first offence, she was not sent to prison.
a lesser offence
(= one that is not as serious as another offence )
• For rioting you can receive ten years in prison, while for the lesser offence of violent disorder you can receive five years in prison.
a federal offense
American English (= a very serious offence against the law of the US, rather than against a state’s law )
• The turtles are rare, and it is a federal offense to take them to another state.
a driving/parking/traffic offence
• Speeding is the most common traffic offence.
a sex/drug/terrorist etc offence
• Thirty-three people were charged with drug offences.
a punishable offence
(= one that you can be punished for )
• Lying in court is a punishable offense.
a capital offence
(= one for which death is the punishment )
• Drug smuggling was made a capital offense in 1987.
an arrestable/indictable offence
(= one that you can be arrested for or must go to court for )
• Indictable offences are tried by a jury in a Crown Court.
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