offensives
uh-FEN-sivz/ˈɔˌfɛnsɪvz/
- 1Plural of offensive.
A series of coordinated offensives forced the defenders to retreat.
Historians still debate whether the spring offensives shortened the war.
Note
Only one meaning of offensive can be counted, and this plural carries it: an attack, as in a series of offensives or the spring offensives. The posture of attacking is uncountable, so an army is on the offensive, never on the offensives. The adjective never takes an -s at all, whether it means insulting or aimed at scoring.
offensives is a form of offensive
offensive, noun: An attack, especially a coordinated military campaign mounted against an opponent. Full entry
- Forms
- offensiveoffensives plural
- Spelling
- offensive → offensives: add -s
- Sound
- The ending sounds like /z/.
Use it in a sentence
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