offsides

5.6

Not allowed because a player is past the allowed line or ahead of the ball

adjective
/ˈɔfˌsaɪdz/

: fuera de juego

Their goal didn't count because someone was offsides during the attack.

Examples

If you're offsides at the snap, the play is automatically stopped by the referee.
The player was called offsides after crossing the blue line too early.
Don't go offsides when the referee is watching!
The player was offsides during the last play.
The referee blew the whistle because the player was offsides at the crucial moment.
In soccer, a striker cannot be offsides when receiving the ball from a teammate.
The coach warned his players not to position themselves offsides during the game.

Synonyms

offside

vsoffsides

6 3.5

A rule break when a player is in a position not allowed in football or hockey

is the plural or variant form used for the same rule

Antonyms

onside

3 4.0

In a game a player is in an allowed position to receive the ball under the rules

Surface Forms

offsides positive

Morphology

offsides = offside (transparent) = off + side + s

Formed from the compound 'offside' with an added -s variant; the sports-related meaning is predictable from 'off' + 'side'.

Etymology

Offsides comes from off ('away') and side ('edge' or 'line'). So it means a player is 'away from the correct side' of play — past the allowed line or ahead of the ball or puck — which is why the play is stopped.