OFFSPRING

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does offspring mean? 

• OFFSPRING (noun)
  The noun OFFSPRING has 3 senses:

1. the immediate descendants of a person

2. something that comes into existence as a result

3. any immature animal

  Familiarity information: OFFSPRING used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• OFFSPRING (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The immediate descendants of a person

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

issue; offspring; progeny

Context example:

he died without issue

Hypernyms ("offspring" is a kind of...):

relation; relative (a person related by blood or marriage)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "offspring"):

baby (the youngest member of a group (not necessarily young))

bastard; by-blow; illegitimate; illegitimate child; love child; whoreson (the illegitimate offspring of unmarried parents)

child; kid (a human offspring (son or daughter) of any age)

eldest; firstborn (the offspring who came first in the order of birth)

grandchild (a child of your son or daughter)

heir; successor (a person who inherits some title or office)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Something that comes into existence as a result

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

materialisation; materialization; offspring

Context example:

this skyscraper is the solid materialization of his efforts

Hypernyms ("offspring" is a kind of...):

consequence; effect; event; issue; outcome; result; upshot (a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Any immature animal

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

offspring; young

Hypernyms ("offspring" is a kind of...):

animal; animate being; beast; brute; creature; fauna (a living organism characterized by voluntary movement)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "offspring"):

hatchling (any recently hatched animal (especially birds))

orphan (a young animal without a mother)

young mammal (any immature mammal)

young bird (a bird that is still young)

spat (a young oyster or other bivalve)

young fish (a fish that is young)

 Context examples 

A female who contributes to the genetic makeup of her offspring from the fertilization of her ovum.

(Biological Mother, NCI Thesaurus)

A relative who is the offspring of a sibling of the biological mother and thus sharing a common ancestor.

(Biological Maternal Cousin, NCI Thesaurus)

Cancer Genetics; the science of heredity and the biological process of transmission of characteristics from progenitor to offspring, especially concerning a heritable predisposition to cancer susceptibility.

(Cancer Genetics, NCI Thesaurus)

Alteration of any condition or process in an offspring that results form the effect of a carcinogen in a parent.

(Carcinogen Effect in Offspring, NCI Thesaurus)

Research conducted on members of families, examining the affects of genetics, the environment, or twin offspring.

(Family Study, NCI Thesaurus)

A male who contributes to the genetic makeup of his offspring through the fertilization of an ovum by his sperm.

(Biological Father, NCI Thesaurus)

A relative who is the offspring of a sibling of either of the biological parents, and who share a common ancestor.

(Biological Cousin, NCI Thesaurus)

Once the rain arrives, they quickly reanimate and produce offspring.

(Scientists: Life Can Thrive in Most Extreme Environments, George Putic/VOA)

According to the researchers, the current models are more likely to represent a roadmap of lineage potential for the blood cells’ natural offspring.

(Cellular barcoding helps scientists understand the behavior of stem cells, National Institutes of Health)

Sharks are sensitive to overfishing because they grow slowly, take a long time to mature, and have few offspring – a bit like mammals such as humans.

(New way to save endangered sharks – and our seafood, SciDev.Net)