offshorev.
/ˌɒfˈʃɔː/, U.S. /ˌɔfˈʃɔr/, /ˌɑfˈʃɔr/ Business.
transitive. To move or base (a business operation) abroad, usually to take advantage of lower costs.
ΚΠ
1985 PR Newswire (Nexis) 4 Apr. In its U.S. industrial business, the company is faced with the problem of replacing sales to existing customers, who are increasingly off-shoring their manufacturing operations, with sales to new customers in new markets.
1987 S. S. Cohen Manuf. Matters ii. 17 What would have happened had we offshored agricultural production instead of automating it?
1997 D. W. Britt Conceptual Introd. Modeling v. 95 By offshoring labor-intensive, low-wage manufacturing, the Japanese have also been able to improve their competitive posture.
2005 Computer Weekly 12 July 22/3 It is a confusing recruitment market out there. Some jobs are being offshored, some aren't.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, June 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
offshoreadv.adj.prep.
/ˌɒfˈʃɔː/, U.S. /ˈɔfˈʃɔr/, /ˈɑfˈʃɔr/ A. adv.
1. In a direction away from the shore.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > land mass > shore or bank > seashore or coast > [adverb] > away from
up847
from the shoreward1582
uplanda1674
offshore1720
1720 D. Defoe Life Capt. Singleton 282 The Wind blowing off Shore.
1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson ii. i. 116 These..sudden gusts make it difficult for ships to work in with the wind off shore.
1822 T. Bewick Mem. (1862) ii. 18 We then set to work with a ‘boat-stower’ to push it [sc. a piece of ice] off shore.
1854 G. B. Richardson Univ. Code (ed. 12) v. 637 Lay her head off shore.
1895 Chambers's Jrnl. 12 634/2 The dab travels in any direction, offshore or inshore, or along the coast.
1916 E. R. Burroughs Beasts of Tarzan v. 81 Caught by a heavy tide and a high wind from offshore they had been driven out of sight of land.
1999 Boards May 83/1 Don't go out at all if the wind is blowing offshore.
2. Off the shore; at some distance from the shore; at sea.In quot. 1745: inland from the shore.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > sea or ocean > [adverb] > at sea
at seaa1400
outc1450
afloat?1473
at the seas1585
by sea1625
offshore1745
1745 P. Thomas True Jrnl. Voy. South-Seas 50 Gusts of Wind from the Mountains Off Shore.
1855 Fraser's Mag. 51 536 Shrimps and anemones live in water carboyed many miles off shore.
1887 G. B. Goode Fisheries U.S.: Hist. & Methods II. 16 The best months for whaling offshore are from September to May.
1914 E. R. Burroughs Tarzan of Apes xix. 261 Inquiries as to how they had happened to anchor off shore and fire a signal gun.
1976 Daily Tel. 20 July 4/2 A carrier task force..is believed to be about 15 miles off shore.
1992 J. Hamilton-Paterson Seven-tenths i. 228 They could see Subuan in the distance with its detached clump of huts standing well offshore on legs anchored in the corals.
3. In or to another country; in a territory outside one's own country.Used esp. with reference to economic or financial activities undertaken abroad in order to take advantage of tax benefits, lower costs, or less stringent regulations.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > [adverb]
upc893
alanda1225
onshore1567
acoast1579
ashore1631
offshore1961
1961 Webster's 3rd New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. Offshore, outside the country: abroad.
1977 Times 18 Feb. (Banking Suppl.) p. vii/4 Large international banks operating offshore.
1985 Investors Chron. 1 Nov. 30/1 VAT of 15 per cent is something investors can cope with in an active market (rather than paying storage and insurance charges for coins held offshore).
1993 Byte Jan. 42/1 By comparison, when Singaporeans go offshore to seek less expensive labour, they must contend with air travel, different languages, and shipping logistics.
2001 Financial Times 27 Jan. (Money section) 7/3 Far greater numbers of people locate their foreign currency accounts offshore.
B. adj.
1. Moving or directed away from the shore; (spec. of a wind) blowing towards the sea from the land.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > land mass > shore or bank > seashore or coast > [adjective] > away from
offshore1769
1769 J. Smeaton Rep. Harbour of Dover 12 Else it is an off-shore Wind, where, if she pleases, she may drop an Anchor before the Harbour's Mouth.
1839 H. T. De la Beche Rep. Geol. Cornwall i. 13 Such winds act as an off-shore wind.
1839 C. Darwin in R. Fitzroy & C. Darwin Narr. Surv. Voy. H.M.S. Adventure & Beagle III. ix. 186 An insect on the wing with an off-shore breeze, would be very apt to be blown out to sea.
1860 Mercantile Marine Mag. 7 230 I might take the off-shore tack.
1900 J. Conrad Lord Jim xxxviii. 384 When they cast off the ropes and set sail to a faint off-shore draught there was no flutter in the damp canvas.
1984 A. C. Duxbury & A. Duxbury Introd. World's Oceans x. 346 Waves scoop the sand off the beach and deposit it in a sandbar during offshore transport.
2000 Wavelength Jan. 74/2 Warm daily offshore winds.
2.
a. Situated, existing, or occurring at a distance from the shore, or away from the mainland.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > sea or ocean > [adjective] > farther from shore
outc1350
off1666
offshore1840
1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast xviii. 171 They [sc. whales] are all off again before midsummer, and make their appearance on the ‘off-shore grounds’.
1864 B. Lloyd Ladies Polcarrow 7 Watching the movements of the ‘Huer’ who was signalling..to the off shore fleet of boats.
1883 G. B. Goode Rev. Fishery Industries U.S. 20 The off-shore fisheries are prosecuted on the great oceanic banks extending from Nantucket to Labrador.
1921 Daily Colonist (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 5 Apr. 7/2 The seas were breaking so high over the bar here yesterday and today that some off-shore shipping was compelled to remain outside.
1964 Oceanogr. & Marine Biol. 2 84 If waves reach the beach unaffected by offshore underwater topography one has an easier task than if waves are breaking and refracting around an offshore bar.
1993 Sunday Tel. 25 July 31/3 The series consists of five short inshore races, one medium-distance offshore race..and..the 600-mile Fastnet Race.
b. Designating an island situated close to a mainland, or to a larger island. offshore islander n. an inhabitant of an offshore island, spec. of Great Britain regarded in relation to continental Europe.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > land mass > island > [adjective] > other
stockaded1863
offshore1886
1886 New Eng. Mag. May 432 Mr. Rotch returned to his off-shore island home, taking his vessels with him.
1906 Amer. Naturalist 40 889 Tanega and Yaku, offshore islands of southern Japan.
1958 New Statesman 30 Aug. 241/2 It is impossible to say whether..whether it is a prelude to the occupation of these off-shore islands [sc. Quemoy and Matsu]; or whether, possibly, we are witnessing the first stage in the invasion of Formosa itself.
1963 Listener 14 Feb. 310/2 Reflect (as often) on the advantages of being an off-shore islander living in an intellectual fog where there is no black and white.
1972 P. Johnson Offshore Islanders 79 William I's work in rebuilding the Old English monarchy was..continued by an Angevin who became a thorough offshore islander in his turn.
1983 P. Theroux Kingdom by Sea v. 54 Just under the irregular coast was the Isle of Wight—shaped like the loose puzzle-piece that most offshore islands resemble.
2000 Sunday Times 23 July (Travel section) 5/5 Some of the best diving is around the offshore volcanic islands.
c. Of or relating to the business of extracting oil or gas from the seabed; designating equipment, procedures, etc., used in this.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > drilling for oil or gas > [adjective] > beneath the sea
subsea1962
offshore1966
1966 Economist 8 Jan. 119/3 British Petroleum is busily finding itself another offshore rig to replace the defunct ‘Sea Gem’.
1973 Guardian 17 Jan. 11 Opportunities for British industry from offshore oil and gas developments.
1982 R. Sheppard & M. Valpy National Deal vii. 151 Newfoundland, which wanted to ensure its workers first crack on the lucrative offshore oil rigs.
2002 Science 11 Jan. 281/2 The sinkings of the ‘unsinkable’ offshore drilling platform Ocean Ranger and the Titanic.
3.
a. Of, from, or relating to another country; foreign, international; not domestic or native.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > a land or country > [adjective] > foreign (of country or place) or situated abroad > foreign as opposed to domestic
foreign1605
offshore1929
1929 Pac Fisherman July 39/1 As much as possible of the Mexican and offshore tuna will be canned.
1946 Sun (Baltimore) 30 Jan. 11/3 Drastic measures should be taken to complete whatever trade negotiations and shipping are necessary to hasten receipt of raw sugars and off-shore refined sugars.
1975 Weekend Mag. (Montreal) 15 Nov. 7/3 Jamaicans are luckier than most offshore workers. Because their government has a tax convention with Canada, they are exempt from paying income tax and Canada pension.
1994 New Scientist 16 July 19/2 The proliferation of ‘offshore databases’, created when a company gathers information about individuals living in one country and processes it in another, makes the work of the data protection authorities difficult.
b. Of, relating to, or designating goods purchased by or from countries other than the U. S. with American dollars supplied as aid, esp. under the Marshall Plan. Also: designating the dollars used in this way. Now historical.
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society > trade and finance > merchandise > [adjective] > types of goods
homemade1565
consumable1692
in nature1719
inconsumable1785
soft1833
tenderable1868
orderable1872
self-serve1918
offshore1947
house-made1972
1947 N.Y. Times 17 Dec. 3/5 There was a deleted provision in an earlier draft limiting so-called off-shore purchases.
1949 Times 10 Sept. 5/7 Off-shore purchases, the name given to supplies to countries in receipt of Marshall aid, which are financed by Marshall aid but which do not come from the United States itself.
1953 Ann. Reg. 1952 220 ‘Off-shore’ orders for military equipment were placed with Italian industry.
1960 New Left Rev. July 45/2 The buoyancy of the Japanese economy..has been..guaranteed by massive off-shore purchases of military equipment.
c. Of a company, institution, service, etc.: registered, located, or operating in a foreign country, usually in order to provide or take advantage of tax benefits. Hence: designating a particular foreign location in which such arrangements apply, esp. in offshore tax haven. offshore fund n. an investment fund operating as a unit trust which is registered overseas.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > stocks and shares > stocks, shares, or bonds > [noun] > other investment funds
investment fund1784
investment vehicle1920
I.R.A.1921
no-load1963
hedge fund1966
swap fund1966
offshore fund1969
roll-up fund1983
tokkin1985
PEP1986
rolled-up1987
1969 N.Y. Times 29 June iii. 1/1 The dam that will store the capital is the offshore commodities mutual fund.
1974 F. A. Lees Internat. Banking & Finance 112 Nassau branches bid for balances of corporations that have set up base or offshore companies in the Bahamas to accumulate earnings there.
1983 Financial Times 18 Jan. 7/4 A government consultative document on proposals to clamp down on international tax avoidance failed to mention offshore roll-up funds.
1992 Time 6 Jan. 42/2 The international financial system is rife with offshore tax havens, secrecy laws and virtually unregulated banking zones.
2001 K. Walker & M. Schone Son of Grifter xxiv. 245 He liked the casinos, and the don't ask, don't tell offshore banks.
d. Designating equipment, installations, etc., located in oceans or other large bodies of water and used to generate electricity from renewable sources, esp. wind. Also: designating energy converted to electricity using such technology.
ΚΠ
1972 Catalyst for Environmental Quallity 2 iii. 25 When the revenue per kilowatt hour of electricity sold from the proposed Offshore Wind Power System is compared..with the revenue required for a 1990 mix of nuclear plants, fossil fuel plants, and hydroplants, it is actually competitive.
1992 Independent 2 Mar. 16/4 The Government's Energy Technology Support Unit (ETSU) estimated that the maximum electricity which could be generated by offshore wavepower was 6,000 megawatts—more than 10 per cent of the nation's needs.
2021 Herald-Times (Bloomington, Indiana) 5 Jan. a5/5 Denmark is home to the world's biggest wind-turbine maker, Vestas Wind Systems A/S, and the world's top developer of offshore wind parks, Orsted A/S.
C. prep.
Off the shore or coast of.
ΚΠ
1942 State Times (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) 18 June 1/3 Wounds received during the bombing of Midway preceding the great air-naval battle offshore the island.
1967 Ocean Industry Jan. 21/3 Atlantic refining and Phillips Petroleum have announced the first discovery of natural gas in the Gulf of Sirte offshore Libya.
1988 Sailing Inland & Offshore (Durban) June 40/1 This year's Fireball Nationals..were held offshore Durban over Easter.
1995 Lamp Spring 18/3 (caption) A ground ice ridge or stamukha off-shore Sakhalin Island.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, January 1902; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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v.1985
adv.adj.prep.1720