Onset vs. Offset: What's the Difference?

Onset and Offset Definitions
Onset
The beginning or start of something
The onset of a cold.
Offset
An agent, element, or thing that balances, counteracts, or compensates for something else.
Onset
(Linguistics) The part of a syllable that precedes the nucleus. In the word nucleus (nklē-əs), the onset of the first syllable is (n), the onset of the second syllable is (kl), and the last syllable has no onset.
Offset
One thing set off or developed from something else.
Onset
(Archaic) An attack by military forces; an assault.
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Offset
The start or initial stage; the outset.
Onset
(archaic) An attack; an assault especially of an army.
Offset
(Architecture) A ledge or recess in a wall formed by a reduction in thickness above; a setoff.
Onset
(medicine) The initial phase of a disease or condition, in which symptoms first become apparent.
The onset of schizophrenia
Offset
(Botany) A shoot that develops laterally at the base of a plant, often rooting to form a new plant.
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Onset
(phonology) The initial portion of a syllable, preceding the syllable nucleus.
Offset
(Geology) A spur of a mountain range or hills.
Onset
(acoustics) The beginning of a musical note or other sound, in which the amplitude rises from zero to an initial peak.
Offset
A bend in a pipe, bar, or other straight continuous piece made to allow it to pass around an obstruction.
Onset
A setting about; a beginning.
The onset of puberty
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Offset
A short distance measured perpendicularly from the main line in surveying, used to help in calculating the area of an irregular plot.
Onset
(obsolete) Anything added, such as an ornament or as a useful appendage.
Offset
A descendant of a race or family; an offshoot.
Onset
(obsolete) To assault; to set upon.
Offset
An unintentional or faulty transfer of wet ink from a printed sheet to another surface in contact with it. Also called setoff.
Onset
(obsolete) To set about; to begin.
Offset
Offset printing.
Onset
A rushing or setting upon; an attack; an assault; a storming; especially, the assault of an army.
The onset and retireOf both your armies.
Who on that day the word of onset gave.
Offset
To counterbalance, counteract, or compensate for
Fringe benefits designed to offset low salaries.
Onset
A setting about; a beginning; - used especially of diseases or pathological symptoms.
There is surely no greater wisdom than well to time the beginnings and onsets of things.
Offset
To cause (printed matter) to transfer or smear onto another surface.
Onset
Anything set on, or added, as an ornament or as a useful appendage.
Offset
To produce by offset printing.
Onset
To assault; to set upon.
Offset
To make or form an offset in (a wall, bar, or pipe).
Onset
To set about; to begin.
Offset
To develop, project, or be situated as an offset.
Onset
The beginning or early stages;
The onset of pneumonia
Offset
(Printing) To become marked by or cause an unintentional transfer of ink.
Onset
(military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons);
The attack began at dawn
Offset
Anything that acts as counterbalance; a compensating equivalent.
Today's victory was an offset to yesterday's defeat.
Offset
(international trade) A form of countertrade arrangement, in which the seller agrees to purchase within a set time frame products of a certain value from the buying country. This kind of agreement may be used in large international public sector contracts such as arms sales.
Offset
A time at which something begins; outset.
Offset
The offset printing process, in which ink is carried from a metal plate to a rubber blanket and from there to the printing surface.
Offset lithographs
Offset process
Offset
(programming) The difference between a target memory address and a base address.
An array of bytes uses its index as the offset, of words a multiple thereof.
Offset
(signal analysis) The displacement between the base level of a measurement and the signal's real base level.
The raw signal data was subjected to a baseline correction process to subtract the sensor's offset and drift variations.
Offset
The distance by which one thing is out of alignment with another.
There is a small offset between the switch and the indicator which some users found confusing.
Offset
(surveying) A short distance measured at right angles from a line actually run to some point in an irregular boundary, or to some object.
Offset
An abrupt bend in an object, such as a rod, by which one part is turned aside out of line, but nearly parallel, with the rest; the part thus bent aside.
Offset
(botany) A short prostrate shoot that takes root and produces a tuft of leaves, etc.
Offset
A spur from a range of hills or mountains.
Offset
(architecture) A horizontal ledge on the face of a wall, formed by a diminution of its thickness, or by the weathering or upper surface of a part built out from it; a set-off.
Offset
(architecture) A terrace on a hillside.
Offset
Away from or off from the general locations and area where a movie’s, a film‘s, or a video’s scenery is arranged to be filmed or from those places for actors, assorted crew, director, producers which are typically not filmed.
Offset
(transitive) To counteract or compensate for, by applying a change in the opposite direction.
I'll offset the time difference locally.
To offset one charge against another
Offset
(transitive) To place out of line.
Offset
(transitive) To form an offset in (a wall, rod, pipe, etc.).
Offset
In general, that which is set off, from, before, or against, something
Offset
A short prostrate shoot, which takes root and produces a tuft of leaves, etc. See Illust. of Houseleek.
Offset
A sum, account, or value set off against another sum or account, as an equivalent; hence, anything which is given in exchange or retaliation; a set-off.
Offset
A spur from a range of hills or mountains.
Offset
A horizontal ledge on the face of a wall, formed by a diminution of its thickness, or by the weathering or upper surface of a part built out from it; - called also set-off.
Offset
A short distance measured at right angles from a line actually run to some point in an irregular boundary, or to some object.
Offset
An abrupt bend in an object, as a rod, by which one part is turned aside out of line, but nearly parallel, with the rest; the part thus bent aside.
Offset
A more or less distinct transfer of a printed page or picture to the opposite page, when the pages are pressed together before the ink is dry or when it is poor; an unitended transfer of an image from one page to another; called also setoff.
Offset
See offset printing.
Offset
To set off; to place over against; to balance; as, to offset one account or charge against another.
Offset
To form an offset in, as in a wall, rod, pipe, etc.
Offset
To make an offset.
Offset
The time at which something is supposed to begin;
They got an early start
She knew from the get-go that he was the man for her
Offset
A compensating equivalent
Offset
A horizontal branch from the base of plant that produces new plants from buds at its tips
Offset
A natural consequence of development
Offset
A plate makes an inked impression on a rubber-blanketed cylinder, which in turn transfers it to the paper
Offset
Structure where a wall or building narrows abruptly
Offset
Compensate for or counterbalance;
Offset deposits and withdrawals
Offset
Make up for;
His skills offset his opponent's superior strength
Offset
Cause (printed matter) to transfer or smear onto another surface
Offset
Create an offset in;
Offset a wall
Offset
Produce by offset printing;
Offset the conference proceedings