offbeat

[ adjective awf-beet, of-; noun awf-beet, of- ]
/ adjective ˈɔfˈbit, ˈɒf-; noun ˈɔfˌbit, ˈɒf- /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR offbeat ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

differing from the usual or expected; unconventional: an offbeat comedian.

noun

Music. an unaccented beat of a measure.

Origin of offbeat

First recorded in 1925–30; off + beat

Words nearby offbeat

off-year election, off., offa, offal, offaly, offbeat, offboard, offcast, offcut, offenbach, offence

Words related to offbeat

unusual, unconventional, eccentric, weird, unorthodox, bizarre, idiosyncratic, oddball, bohemian, novel, far-out, fresh, uncommon, unique, way-out, freaky, outre

Example sentences from the Web for offbeat

British Dictionary definitions for offbeat

offbeat
/ (ˈɒfˌbiːt) /

noun

music any of the normally unaccented beats in a bar, such as the second and fourth beats in a bar of four-four time. They are stressed in most rock and some jazz and dance music, such as the bossa nova

adjective

  1. unusual, unconventional, or eccentric
  2. (as noun)he liked the offbeat in fashion