offer
verb (used with object)
to present for acceptance or rejection; proffer.
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Offspr.
offer
American
[aw-fer, of-er]
/ ˈɔ fər, ˈɒf ər /
verb (used with object)
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offers,
present (3rd person singular)
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offered,
past participle, past
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offering
present participle
-
to present for acceptance or rejection; proffer.
He offered me a cigarette.
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to propose or put forward for consideration.
to offer a suggestion.
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to propose or volunteer (to do something).
She offered to accompany me.
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to make a show of intention (to do something).
We did not offer to go first.
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to give, make, or promise.
She offered no response.
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to present solemnly as an act of worship or devotion, as to God, a deity or a saint; sacrifice.
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to present for sale.
He offered the painting to me at a reduced price.
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to tender or bid as a price.
to offer ten dollars for a radio.
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to attempt or threaten to do, engage in, or inflict.
to offer battle.
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to put forth; exert.
to offer resistance.
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to present to sight or notice.
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to introduce or present for exhibition or performance.
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to render (homage, thanks, etc.).
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to present or volunteer (oneself ) to someone as a spouse.
verb (used without object)
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offers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
offered,
past participle, past
-
offering
present participle
-
to present itself; occur.
Whenever an opportunity offered, he slipped off to town.
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to present something as an act of worship or devotion; sacrifice.
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to make a proposal or suggestion.
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to suggest oneself to someone for marriage; propose.
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Archaic. to make an attempt (followed byat ).
noun
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offers
plural
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an act or instance of offering.
an offer of help.
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the condition of being offered.
an offer for sale.
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something offered.
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a proposal or bid to give or pay something as the price of something else; bid.
an offer of $90,000 for the house.
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Law. a proposal that requires only acceptance in order to create a contract.
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an attempt or endeavor.
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a show of intention.
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a proposal of marriage.
offer
1
British
/ ˈɒfə /
verb
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to present or proffer (something, someone, oneself, etc) for acceptance or rejection
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(tr) to present as part of a requirement
she offered English as a second subject
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(tr) to provide or make accessible
this stream offers the best fishing
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(intr) to present itself
if an opportunity should offer
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(tr) to show or express willingness or the intention (to do something)
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(tr) to put forward (a proposal, opinion, etc) for consideration
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(tr) to present for sale
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(tr) to propose as payment; bid or tender
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to present (a prayer, sacrifice, etc) as or during an act of worship
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(tr) to show readiness for
to offer battle
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archaic (intr) to make a proposal of marriage
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(tr; sometimes foll by up or to) engineering to bring (a mechanical piece) near to or in contact with another, and often to proceed to fit the pieces together
noun
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something, such as a proposal or bid, that is offered
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the act of offering or the condition of being offered
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contract law a proposal made by one person that will create a binding contract if accepted unconditionally by the person to whom it is made See also acceptance
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a proposal of marriage
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short for offer price
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for sale at a reduced price
Offer
2
British
/ ˈɒfə /
acronym
Synonym Usage
Offer, proffer, tender mean to present for acceptance or refusal. Offer is a common word in general use for presenting something to be accepted or rejected: to offer assistance. Proffer, with the same meaning, is now chiefly a literary word: to proffer one's services. Tender (no longer used in reference to concrete objects) is a ceremonious term for a more or less formal or conventional act: to tender one's resignation.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonoffernoun
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offerernoun
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offerornoun
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preoffernoun
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reofferverb
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offerableadjective
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self-offeredadjective
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unofferedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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offersimple
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offerssimple
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have offeredperfect
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has offeredperfect
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am offeringprogressive
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are offeringprogressive
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is offeringprogressive
-
have been offeringperfect progressive
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has been offeringperfect progressive
Past
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offeredsimple
-
had offeredperfect
-
was offeringprogressive
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were offeringprogressive
-
had been offeringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of offer
First recorded before 900; Middle English offren, Old English offrian “to present in worship,” from Latin offerre, equivalent to of- of- + ferre “to bring”; see bear 1
Explanation
You make an offer when you present your willingness to do something. People selling a house wait for the best offer. One person offers something, and another person accepts or rejects it. It's polite to offer guests something to drink and to offer a friend some space under your umbrella. A marriage proposal is a type of offer. A threat of violence is "an offer you can't refuse" in The Godfather. This word can mean a religious act as well, or — more grossly — the kind of offering a cat makes when it offers a dead mouse to its owner.
Vocabulary lists containing offer
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Community Transformation Collective’s promotoras are among those working directly with residents, Aguilera said, helping connect them with services and providing what she described as “warm handoffs” to organizations that can offer support.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
While rising U.S. fiscal risks, the declining haven appeal of Treasurys and sustained demand from China offer structural tailwinds, a hawkish Fed and Bank of Japan cloud the near-term outlook, says Elara Capital’s Garima Kapoor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Scientists compare the idea to a canary in a coal mine, because changes there may offer an efficient way to detect broader shifts in the climate regulating circulation.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026
Economist Luke Sibieta said asking schools to offer more vocational routes would be a "big change" on top of the significant reforms to support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
“We don’t want to pay you off, we came to offer to pay for your son’s gravestone.”
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Offer the help of a financial adviser who is objective and who can help her navigate the Social Security question.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
It points out the industry is 57% through the Default Market Offer period for pricing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Offer water: Set up a water station separate from the bar so people don't have to queue.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Offer to look over and send out her résumé.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 25, 2026
Offer the berries, they’re worth nothing to him now.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
The investment in Pilgrim offers a window into how some of the leaders of major AI labs are thinking about the potential biological risks of AI that is smarter than humans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Wright Robinson College in Gorton, East Manchester, already offers 10 practical or vocational subjects for study in Year 10.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
“Infrastructure offers diversification, downside protection, and inflation protection that are particularly appealing in today’s environment of elevated geopolitical uncertainty,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
United is an outlier in my test because it outsources its service to Global Airport Concierge, which offers services at airports around the world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
I stuff my feet in my Crocs and take the bag of groceries Mom offers me.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
China has offered economic and military support for Iran for decades.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
He said verification offered additional context but wasn’t a guarantee.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
The third barrier is the medication that was offered in the past, though this has improved in the last five years, she said.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
A major American-Chinese agreement on AI hasn’t been looking likely, and a pre-summit meeting on Sunday offered additional signals that the deliverables could be modest.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
He wished he had not offered to stay behind.
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
Three pension insurance companies and a fund management group have committed 170 million euros to anchor the initial public offering, implying a pre-money valuation of up to 1.3 billion euros, the company said Wednesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
They identified the ones that had been “endorsed” during the initial coin offering — the fundraising, or launch — by a famous person, typically a cultural celebrity.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
Evan said there were "so many different companies, especially around Newport" offering careers after leaving school.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
Hearn says that some of Pollock's suitors were offering "well in excess of seven figures".
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
“I’m glad to hear that. I was beginning to wonder what was going on around here. Did you say they’re offering a reward for the monkeys?”
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
