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)
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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
-
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
-
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:
WSJ | Buy Side: Some of the best CD rates we found offer APYs exceeding 4.00% APY, depending on how long you agree to leave your money on deposit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
McDonald’s own financial projections offer some reason to examine that distinction carefully.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
Warrick and others say this week’s events could offer clues to next season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
Advanced biomaterials and smart dressings could offer another option by delivering immune-modifying substances directly to the wound.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 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
Listed with David Offer of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, the property centers around a stunning great room that features wraparound windows and opens up into a “cook’s kitchen,” a dining area, and a family room.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
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 a few predictable options, normalise different preferences, and don't turn food into a moral issue.
From BBC ● Dec. 21, 2025
“Is that how you greet company, T? Offer your friend a drink.”
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
They received individualized offers that were lower than the previous uniform price.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
Though writer-director Aaron Sorkin’s “The Social Reckoning” fancies itself a journalism thriller, the film offers only a handful of real thrills.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
History offers a more reassuring outlook once a bull market turns four years old.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 11, 2026
Although the discovery offers a new explanation for how fluid and waste may leave the back of the eye, important questions remain.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
The doctor offers Phineas $1,000 for the pocketful of pebbles that Phineas has collected walking along the Black River near town.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
Both are also offered state police security and have been in their current roles as long as Paxton.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
The pair walked downstairs together chatting about the upcoming launch, before Armstrong offered for his wife to take a photograph of them.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
After congratulating the crew on completing thousands of combat missions with “zero casualties, zero flight mishaps, and zero working toilets,” Jost’s Hegseth offered an update on developments back home.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
The treadmill offered an escape from Ohio’s winters, but he quickly found other advantages.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
Out where the bluff hadn’t offered its protection, trees were toppled like matchsticks.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
In August, 45% of home sellers gave concessions to buyers, such as offering to cover the closing costs or handing the buyer money for repairs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
“With bonds offering potentially similar returns, but considerably lower expected volatility, investors such as pension funds and retirement managers may have greater incentives to shift money from stocks into fixed income,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 11, 2026
What archaeologists once regarded primarily as prehistoric glue may also have been a useful substance for protecting wounds, offering another intriguing possibility about the origins of human medical knowledge.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
Boots was an early adopter of the loyalty cards commonly offered today by companies offering points and discounts to customers who sign up.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Samir threw in the second cup of tea as a peace offering, with great apologies for his failure at brewing.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
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.
