Offset  —n. 1 side-shoot from a plant serving for propagation. 2 compensation, consideration or amount diminishing or neutralizing the effect of a contrary one. 3 sloping ledge in a wall etc. 4 bend in a pipe etc. To carry it past an obstacle. 5 (often attrib.) Method of printing in which ink is transferred from a plate or stone to a rubber surface and from there to paper etc. (offset litho). —v. (-setting; past and past part. -set) 1 counterbalance, compensate. 2 print by the offset process.