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)
-
offers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
offered,
past participle, past
-
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
-
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
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:
Above all, though, the report criticized the museum on grounds that echoed Brooks and the 2002 blue-ribbon commission, saying that it failed to offer visitors a unified narrative of the nation’s history.
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026
Based on a strategy once only available to wealthier investors, these ETFs offer an attractive design feature: You get some equity exposure, while also collecting regular income.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
He said they must think this movie had a chance to really be something special if they were going to up their offer so many times.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
"Gyms offer broader types of exercise, like resistance training, which can improve body composition and shape more quickly than aerobic exercise training," explains exercise expert Dr Andrew Scott, from the University of Portsmouth.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
And this is when C.C. was glad she waited and listened before she spoke because she now knew she could offer something helpful to Duane.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
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
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 a few predictable options, normalise different preferences, and don't turn food into a moral issue.
From BBC ● Dec. 21, 2025
“You’re free to go to other places. Offer will last.until five. But you’ll find that I give the best price. I’m not trying to sell you short.”
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
Another fast-food chain, Jersey Mike’s, offers a more straightforward example.
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026
“If you’re a believer in the AI trade, if you’re a believer in the re-industrialization and the remilitarization trade, the Japanese stock market offers a lot of these,” the strategist said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
The Sun says Sarah Ferguson has received offers of up to seven figures for an autobiography, and is just "days away" from a book deal.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
How she stumbles away from mourning is sometimes weird, but one of her friends offers sage advice as she does so: “It’s okay to be messy. That’s life, you know.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Someone called Mrs. Bardell offers advice about making “tasty dishes to satisfy both men and kiddies alike.”
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
My colleague and WSJ columnist Greg Ip says that view is flawed and offered his take.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Sosnick didn’t respond to inquiries sent to him and to Schneider, who offered to forward them directly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Further experiments offered clues about how AMB-1 produces its effects.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 25, 2026
It also offered a glimpse of the competing interests, egos and power struggles involved in getting one of boxing's most elusive fights over the line.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
“A guest! A guest in my gates and I have offered her no refreshment!”
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Like many apartments in the area, the Byline is offering months of free rent to attract tenants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
He said the new operations may expand beyond wine and integrate music as part of its central offering.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
You’re offering it up for scrutiny in a way that can be really scary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
My wife explained that we were offering to pay the full agreed-upon price for the house.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
Alexander suggested, offering a wooden pointer that seemed about the right length.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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.
