offshore
offshore — adjective
1. out in the sea but still fairly close to the coast — used to describe things tha
out in the sea but still fairly close to the coast — used to describe things that sit, happen, or are built on the water rather than on land.
An offshore wind farm sits about ten kilometres west of Changhua coast.
offshore + noun: offshore wind farm
Norway built many offshore oil rigs in the North Sea during the 1970s.
collocation: offshore oil rig / drilling platform
Fishermen in Donggang sometimes spot dolphins in the offshore waters at sunrise.
The new offshore power cable will carry electricity from sea turbines back to the city.
Heavy storms damaged two offshore drilling platforms last winter.
文法句型
offshore + noun
用法筆記
Almost always used before a noun (attributive). Distinguish from sense 3 (FOREIGN BUSINESS): an offshore rig is a real platform in the sea, while an offshore account is in a foreign country and may be nowhere near the sea.
常見錯誤
2. of a wind or breeze: starting on the land and pushing out toward the sea — the o
of a wind or breeze: starting on the land and pushing out toward the sea — the opposite direction to a sea breeze that arrives at the beach.
Surfers in Kenting prefer mornings when a steady offshore breeze holds the wave faces clean.
collocation: offshore breeze / wind
A strong offshore wind blew Maya's straw hat far out into the bay.
Sailors check the forecast for offshore winds before leaving the small fishing harbour.
The kite kept rising because the offshore breeze pushed it away from the shore.
- land breeze
common weather term for the same kind of wind, especially at night
- onshore
describes wind moving from sea toward land
- sea breeze
daytime wind blowing from the sea onto the land
文法句型
offshore + wind/breeze
用法筆記
Counter-intuitive for many learners: an offshore wind blows FROM the shore TOWARD the sea, not toward the shore. The shore is the starting point, not the destination. Most often combined with 'wind' or 'breeze'.
常見錯誤
3. set up or registered abroad, typically somewhere with lower taxes or looser fina
set up or registered abroad, typically somewhere with lower taxes or looser financial rules — used of banks, accounts, companies, or money kept outside one's home country to save on costs.
The journalist found that the minister had hidden three million dollars in offshore accounts.
collocation: offshore account / bank account
Many tech firms set up offshore companies in the Cayman Islands to lower their tax bills.
collocation: offshore company; typical location named
Wealthy clients often ask their lawyers about offshore trusts and how they work.
Government investigators are now tracking the family's offshore funds in Switzerland.
An offshore investment fund based in Bermuda pays almost no local tax.
文法句型
offshore + company / account / fund
用法筆記
Often carries a slightly negative tone — readers may assume the goal is tax avoidance or hiding money, even when the arrangement is legal. Distinguish from sense 1 (AT SEA): an offshore account has nothing to do with the ocean.
常見錯誤
offshore — verb
1. to move part of a company's work — such as factory jobs, customer service, or so
to move part of a company's work — such as factory jobs, customer service, or software tasks — to a different country where wages or running costs are lower.
The bank offshored most of its call-centre jobs to Manila to cut staff costs.
pattern: offshore X to + country
Many German carmakers offshored parts production to factories in Eastern Europe.
typical object: production / manufacturing
The startup offshored its software testing to a small team in Vietnam.
Workers protested last week after the company offshored hundreds of factory jobs to Mexico.
文法句型
offshore + noun (jobs / production / work)
offshore something to + country
用法筆記
Object is usually a kind of work or a department (jobs, production, services, support), not a person. Frequently followed by 'to + country'. Often appears in news writing about layoffs or cost cutting.
常見錯誤
offshore — adverb
1. in a position out on the sea away from the land, or moving in that direction — u
in a position out on the sea away from the land, or moving in that direction — used after verbs to say where something is or where it is going.
Two fishing boats were anchored offshore, waiting for the morning tide.
verb + offshore: anchored offshore
The empty raft drifted offshore until the coast guard towed it back.
verb + offshore: drifted offshore
Diego swam offshore for about fifty metres before turning back to the beach.
A whale was spotted offshore by tourists on the cliff path.
The ferry stopped offshore because the harbour was too shallow at low tide.
- out at sea
longer phrase; same idea but suggests a greater distance from land
- seaward
more formal; emphasises the direction toward the sea
文法句型
verb + offshore
anchored / drift / sail + offshore
用法筆記
Comes AFTER the verb or noun it describes ('anchored offshore', 'a boat offshore'), unlike adjective sense 1 which sits before the noun ('an offshore platform'). Same word, different position in the sentence.
常見錯誤
offshore — preposition
1. in the sea a short distance from the coast of a named place — used mainly in new
in the sea a short distance from the coast of a named place — used mainly in news, geography, or technical writing to give a rough location at sea.
A magnitude-six earthquake struck offshore Hualien early on Sunday morning.
offshore + place name: offshore Hualien
Researchers tagged twenty sea turtles offshore Penghu last summer.
The cargo ship lost power offshore Singapore and drifted for three hours.
Several whales were filmed offshore California by a marine biology team.
- off
shorter; standard everyday equivalent ('off the coast of Hualien')
文法句型
offshore + place name
用法筆記
Mostly used in formal news and scientific reports, often interchangeable with 'off the coast of'. The simpler 'off' or 'off the coast of' is more common in everyday speech.