verb / noun · neutral
offset
UK/ˈɒf.set/US/ˈɔːf.set/OF·set
to balance one effect by producing another; (n.) something that balances or compensates
Examples
“Companies buy carbon offsets to balance emissions they cannot eliminate.”
“The new park offsets some of the city's heat-island effect.”
“We planted trees to offset the factory's emissions.”
Band 8 sentence
“While offsets can reduce a company's net emissions, they should not replace direct cuts in fuel use.”
Collocations
- offset emissions
- carbon offset
- offset the cost
Word family
Common mistakes
They offsetted the pollution with planting.→They offset the pollution by planting trees.
We need to offset carbon the company released.→We need to offset the carbon the company released.
Say it for a higher band
5balance→6compensate→7+offset
Synonyms
compensate
Easily confused
compensate
“The firm compensates workers for overtime, but it offsets emissions by funding reforestation.”
Related words
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In Environment & Climate
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