offering
Americannoun
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something offered in worship or devotion, as to a deity; an oblation or sacrifice.
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a contribution given to or through the church for a particular purpose, as at a religious service.
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anything offered as a gift.
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something presented for inspection or sale.
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a sale.
our spring offering of furniture.
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the act of one who offers.
noun
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something that is offered
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a contribution to the funds of a religious organization
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a sacrifice, as of an animal, to a deity
Etymology
Origin of offering
First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English offrung; equivalent to offer + -ing 1
Explanation
An offering is a type of offer or bid, like the kind made in a business meeting. When you offer something—like a cookie—you're asking someone if they want it. An offering is like that: it's an offer. One type of offering is a proposal or bid made in business. A sports team could make an offering of three million dollars a year to a running back. A bidder could make an offering of one thousand dollars at an auction. An offering is a promise to pay that much if the offering is accepted.
Vocabulary lists containing offering
King Tut Day
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Ship Breaker
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Novel Study: The Road, Pages 1–175
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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.
In one of her last messages, email records show, she told an aide she expected more help than the mayor’s office was offering.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
A Glasgow auction house founded by TV presenter Anita Manning has been criticised for offering human remains for sale.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
OpenAI announced that it has confidentially filed for an initial public offering one week after competitor Anthropic announced it planned to go public, too.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
OpenAI just took a step closer to going public, potentially setting up 2026 to be a record-breaking year for IPOs — though the company isn’t guaranteeing it’ll conduct an offering anytime soon.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026
She set down her empty teacup and I held up the kettle, offering more.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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.
