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offbeat definition

off·beat (ôfbēt′)

noun

Music any of the beats of a measure that have weak, or secondary, accents

adjective

  1. Jazz with a strong, or primary, accent placed on beats that usually receive a weak, or secondary, accent
  2. Informal not conforming to the usual pattern or trend; unconventional, unusual, strange, etc.

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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