offer
verb (used with object)
to present for acceptance or rejection; proffer.
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)
-
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
-
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
-
a proposal of marriage
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short for offer price
-
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
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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
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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:
The government hopes the plug-in panels will offer people a more affordable way into solar energy compared to roof installation, although savings will be lower because they generate less power.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
But Thursday night’s game against the Chargers at SoFi Stadium will offer another look at perhaps one of the most important players for the Rams’ future:
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Parton did not offer specifics about how such arrangements could work, or how her estate would handle the rights issues, but it offers the tantalizing prospect of Parton tunes for years to come.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
Retired outfielder Sam Fuld was the Philadelphia Phillies’ general manager when he received a surprising offer: get an M.B.A. and come back as the club’s president of business operations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
If a business or home owner — never a contractor — was out making preparations for the storm, they’d stop, introduce themselves, then offer to give them a hand … for free.
From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith
Appeared in the May 2, 2026, print edition as 'China’s ‘Teapot’ Refiners Offer Financial Lifeline to Iran'.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026
Offer to look over and send out her résumé.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 25, 2026
Offer letters and emails explain what a parent needs to do next to accept or decline the place.
From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2026
They said the Childcare Offer for Wales, providing up to 30 hours per week of care for three and four-year-olds, was more generous than England's scheme.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2025
Offer the berries, they’re worth nothing to him now.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
The shop offers a signature coffee brand named Cup of Ambition, a nod to her Grammy-winning single 9 to 5.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Parton did not offer specifics about how such arrangements could work, or how her estate would handle the rights issues, but it offers the tantalizing prospect of Parton tunes for years to come.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
She offers fresh takes on subjects most comics won’t even dare to tackle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
At the Morgan Library & Museum, a selection of art owned by the writer and critic offers a view of his personal taste and creative companions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
She offers me a small smile and asks, “Did your bus driver give you a late pass?”
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
This offered a glimpse of the potential for AI models to go rogue, as the models were meant to be isolated from the internet.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
On a call, Nvidia Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress offered guidance of 70% revenue growth in the company’s 2028 fiscal year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Britain’s postwar sugar rationing offered a rare alternative.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
Here, too, Dolly offered her region a tacit challenge by promoting the education reading can provide and, just as importantly, the empathy it can unlock.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
The only thing Mother Finnegan had offered to buy for Danny was a new copy to replace his tattered book.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
But it was Dean, from the U.K., who spoke first, offering an elegant, heartfelt defense of immigrants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
A "social supermarket" offering low-cost food and support to escape financial hardship is to open at a third location in Kent.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Its shares skyrocketed initially before coming back down to earth, and now sit at about their $135 offering price.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
A syndicate of banks and brokers from around the country bought 417,000 shares to resell to retail investors at an initial offering price of $40.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
The aboatia gives a few slow blinks before offering a monstrous yawn.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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.
