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• offer
  offer

  verb (used with object)

  to present for acceptance or rejection; proffer.
• Offer
  Offer

  acronym

  Office of Electricity Regulation: merged with Ofgas in 1999 to form Ofgem

offer

American  

[aw-fer, of-er] / ˈɔ fər, ˈɒf ər /

verb (used with object)

• offers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• offered,
  past participle,  past
• offering
  present participle

1. to present for acceptance or rejection; proffer.

   He offered me a cigarette.

   Antonyms:

   withhold, withdraw

2. to propose or put forward for consideration.

   to offer a suggestion.

   Synonyms:

   propose, move, give

3. to propose or volunteer (to do something).

   She offered to accompany me.

4. to make a show of intention (to do something).

   We did not offer to go first.

5. to give, make, or promise.

   She offered no response.

6. to present solemnly as an act of worship or devotion, as to God, a deity or a saint; sacrifice.

7. to present for sale.

   He offered the painting to me at a reduced price.

8. to tender or bid as a price.

   to offer ten dollars for a radio.

9. to attempt or threaten to do, engage in, or inflict.

   to offer battle.

10. to put forth; exert.

    to offer resistance.

11. to present to sight or notice.

12. to introduce or present for exhibition or performance.

13. to render (homage, thanks, etc.).

14. to present or volunteer (oneself ) to someone as a spouse.

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verb (used without object)

• offers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• offered,
  past participle,  past
• offering
  present participle

1. to present itself; occur.

   Whenever an opportunity offered, he slipped off to town.

2. to present something as an act of worship or devotion; sacrifice.

3. to make a proposal or suggestion.

4. to suggest oneself to someone for marriage; propose.

5. Archaic. to make an attempt (followed byat ).

noun

• offers
  plural

1. an act or instance of offering.

   an offer of help.

   Antonyms:

   denial, refusal

2. the condition of being offered.

   an offer for sale.

3. something offered.

4. a proposal or bid to give or pay something as the price of something else; bid.

   an offer of $90,000 for the house.

5. Law. a proposal that requires only acceptance in order to create a contract.

6. an attempt or endeavor.

7. a show of intention.

8. a proposal of marriage.

offer ¹ British  

/ ˈɒfə /

verb

1. to present or proffer (something, someone, oneself, etc) for acceptance or rejection

2. (tr) to present as part of a requirement

   she offered English as a second subject

3. (tr) to provide or make accessible

   this stream offers the best fishing

4. (intr) to present itself

   if an opportunity should offer

5. (tr) to show or express willingness or the intention (to do something)

6. (tr) to put forward (a proposal, opinion, etc) for consideration

7. (tr) to present for sale

8. (tr) to propose as payment; bid or tender

9. to present (a prayer, sacrifice, etc) as or during an act of worship

10. (tr) to show readiness for

    to offer battle

11. archaic (intr) to make a proposal of marriage

12. (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

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noun

1. something, such as a proposal or bid, that is offered

2. the act of offering or the condition of being offered

3. 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

4. a proposal of marriage

5. short for offer price

6. for sale at a reduced price

Offer ² British  

/ ˈɒfə /

acronym

1. Office of Electricity Regulation: merged with Ofgas in 1999 to form Ofgem

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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

• nonoffer
  noun
• offerer
  noun
• offeror
  noun
• preoffer
  noun
• reoffer
  verb
• offerable
  adjective
• self-offered
  adjective
• unoffered
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• offers
  plural

Participles

• offering
  present
• offered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• offer
  simple
• offers
  simple
• have offered
  perfect
• has offered
  perfect
• am offering
  progressive
• are offering
  progressive
• is offering
  progressive
• have been offering
  perfect progressive
• has been offering
  perfect progressive

Past

• offered
  simple
• had offered
  perfect
• was offering
  progressive
• were offering
  progressive
• had been offering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will offer
  simple
• will have offered
  perfect
• will be offering
  progressive
• will have been offering
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

offer Offer offers offered offering

The media and technology watchdog organization urged OpenAI to pause marketing the product and keep minors off the platform until it can offer a safer experience.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

They added that "all major abortion providers offer counselling and advice on the options available".

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

It aims to offer an alternative viewpoint to the "big three" global credit ratings -- Fitch, Moody's and S&P -- which have been accused in the past of unfairly playing down African economies.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

The German sports car maker said ahead of an investor event Wednesday that it will offer more higher-end vehicles and aim to increase the average selling price of the models by about 20%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

I heard Nate offer to take me and Mom agreed.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

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

Offer water: Set up a water station separate from the bar so people don't have to queue.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

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 the berries, they’re worth nothing to him now.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson

It offers only guided tours to small groups by prior arrangement.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

“Thoughtfully positioned to embrace its extraordinary surroundings, the home offers an intimate connection to the coastline while maintaining a level of seclusion that is increasingly difficult to find.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026

But she offers no more than token reform.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

“Oh, um, I don’t do scary,” she says when he offers a line from “Frankenstein, “Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

“You can use my debit card,” Andre offers helpfully.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Oil-tanker captains are being offered up to $100,000 per month to navigate the Strait of Hormuz.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026

Captains are offered a monthly salary package in excess of $18,000 and benefits ranging from concessional flight tickets for family and friends, free flights for annual leave, and open-ended contracts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

“I’m just a student of grief,” she offered.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

What has been offered, including a website for students to express their grievances and an afternoon of internal discussion in schools on Friday, has made little impression so far.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

“I can drive us down to the road on the quad,” Chase offered.

From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith

In 2020, the company completed its initial public offering, at a time when there was high demand for pools because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

Months later, it launched its service in the United States, offering some 300,000 titles for purchase.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

DayOne Data Centers, an AI infrastructure firm backed by Japanese investment conglomerate SoftBank, is seeking to raise up to $5 billion in a U.S. initial public offering.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

A new community supermarket offering access to affordable and healthy food has opened in a Kent shopping centre.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

The good news was that Khrushchev was offering to remove his missiles from Cuba in exchange for an American pledge not to invade.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• afford
• allow
• award
• display
• donate
• extend
• give
• grant
• provide
• show
• submit
• suggest