to present for acceptance or rejection; proffer.
He offered me a cigarette.
to propose or put forward for consideration.
to offer a suggestion.
to propose or volunteer (to do something).
She offered to accompany me.
to make a show of intention (to do something).
We did not offer to go first.
to give, make, or promise.
She offered no response.
to present solemnly as an act of worship or devotion, as to God, a deity or a saint; sacrifice.
to present for sale.
He offered the painting to me at a reduced price.
to tender or bid as a price.
to offer ten dollars for a radio.
to attempt or threaten to do, engage in, or inflict.
to offer battle.
to put forth; exert.
to offer resistance.
to present to sight or notice.
to introduce or present for exhibition or performance.
to render (homage, thanks, etc.).
to present or volunteer (oneself ) to someone as a spouse.
to present itself; occur.
Whenever an opportunity offered, he slipped off to town.
to present something as an act of worship or devotion; sacrifice.
to make a proposal or suggestion.
to suggest oneself to someone for marriage; propose.
Archaic. to make an attempt (followed byat ).
an act or instance of offering.
an offer of help.
the condition of being offered.
an offer for sale.
something offered.
a proposal or bid to give or pay something as the price of something else; bid.
an offer of $90,000 for the house.
Law. a proposal that requires only acceptance in order to create a contract.
an attempt or endeavor.
a show of intention.
a proposal of marriage.
to present or proffer (something, someone, oneself, etc) for acceptance or rejection
(tr) to present as part of a requirement
she offered English as a second subject
(tr) to provide or make accessible
this stream offers the best fishing
(intr) to present itself
if an opportunity should offer
(tr) to show or express willingness or the intention (to do something)
(tr) to put forward (a proposal, opinion, etc) for consideration
(tr) to present for sale
(tr) to propose as payment; bid or tender
to present (a prayer, sacrifice, etc) as or during an act of worship
(tr) to show readiness for
to offer battle
archaic (intr) to make a proposal of marriage
(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
something, such as a proposal or bid, that is offered
the act of offering or the condition of being offered
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
short for offer price
for sale at a reduced price
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.
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
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.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mars aims to offer all six colors by 2028.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 18, 2026
Whatever the circumstances, Jamie says he will always offer to split the bill "regardless of whether I want to see them again".
From BBC • Jun. 18, 2026
“I wasn’t expecting an offer or anything,” Conlon said recently in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion office he has occupied for 20 years and laden with mementos soon to be boxed.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026
Consumers aren’t cutting back restaurant spending across the board; they are trading down to brands that offer clear value, or trading up to experiences they believe justify the price.
From Barron's • Jun. 18, 2026
“Whether you need it or not, we made the offer to your wife and she accepted, and we plan to pay.”
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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.
