Meaning of Offing | Babel Free

Definitions

1. The area of the sea in which a ship can be seen in the distance from land, excluding the parts nearest the shore, and beyond the anchoring ground.
2. The distance that a ship at sea keeps away from land, often because of navigational dangers, fog and other hazards; a position at a distance from shore.
3. The foreseeable future. Chiefly in the phrase in the offing.
   figuratively

Equivalents

Examples

“to see⟳ (a ship) in the offing”

“I came to an Anchor in seven fathomes water in the offing to Sea.”

“September 30, 1659. I, poor miserable Robinson Crusoe, being shipwreck'd during a dreadful Storm, in the offing, came on Shore on this dismal, unfortunate Island, which I call'd the Island of Despair, all the rest⟳ of the Ship's Company being drown'd, and my self almost dead.”

“That's the Grampus's crew. I seed her reported in the offing this morning; a three years' voyage, and a full ship.”

“In the offing the sea and the sky were welded together without a joint […]”

“[…] till I ſaw the Land⟳ tun out a great Length into the Sea, at about the Diſtance of four or five Leagues before me, and the Sea being very calm I kept a large, offing to make⟳ this Point⟳; […]”

“However, what with the help⟳ of this Ebb, and our Boats, we by Noon had got an Offing of 1 1/2 or 2 Miles, yet we could hardly flatter ourselves with hopes of getting Clear […]”

“We beat⟳ off shore during the whole of the night, when the weather moderated, and at daybreak we found out that we had not gained much offing, in consequence of the current […]”

CEFR level