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.
-
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.
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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.
-
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.
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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.
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.
-
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
-
offers
plural
-
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.
offer
1
British
/ ˈɒfə /
verb
-
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
noun
-
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
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
-
offerornoun
-
preoffernoun
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reofferverb
-
offerableadjective
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self-offeredadjective
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unofferedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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offersimple
-
offerssimple
-
have offeredperfect
-
has offeredperfect
-
am offeringprogressive
-
are offeringprogressive
-
is offeringprogressive
-
have been offeringperfect progressive
-
has been offeringperfect progressive
Past
-
offeredsimple
-
had offeredperfect
-
was offeringprogressive
-
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:
Europe can offer investors who want to exploit the AI theme exposure to the picks-and-shovels hardware theme and a means of capturing productivity gains.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 9, 2026
Under the exchange’s plan, the platform would offer 24/7 trading.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2026
Together, the two studies offer a more detailed understanding of how diet, gut microbes, and the body's own metabolism interact.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 9, 2026
And the calendar may not offer much comfort.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 9, 2026
And, of course, they want access to all the resources the Philippines have to offer.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
But despite impressing the likes of Stallone himself, for Ippolito -- who played a young Al Pacino in "The Offer," a mini-series chronicling the making of "The Godfather" -- the pressure was on.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
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
Appeared in the January 30, 2026, print edition as 'Tom Homan’s Good Offer to Minneapolis'.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026
Offer a few predictable options, normalise different preferences, and don't turn food into a moral issue.
From BBC ● Dec. 21, 2025
On June 21 the Post-Intelligencer ran a banner headline in its sports section: “$10,000 Crew Offer to Be Made for Tom Bolles.”
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
The chef’s kitchen offers sprawling counter space, chic modern fixtures, and plenty of storage for snacks, supplies, and cooking gadgets.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 9, 2026
“Hamlet” also offers a lesson in the insidious nature of political corruption.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 8, 2026
The proposed Biotic Inflection offers a potentially important new way to understand major changes in Earth's biodiversity.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 8, 2026
The Grenfell Health and Wellbeing Service offers therapies and groups to survivors, bereaved families and the wider community.
From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2026
She gives a slight nod and scribbles with the pen he offers to her.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
He then offered his criticism of listing restrictions and penalties.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 9, 2026
The only way the Army would let him go was if he was offered a track scholarship, which was about as likely as Everett finding the Loch Ness Monster.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2026
Perhaps a one-year extension can be offered to Alisson which could allow Brughmans to learn from the Brazilian but, at 34, he may be looking for the security of something longer term.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2026
Boeing offered little detail about the contracts or why they’ve become such a sinkhole.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2026
When I offered to help with the chores, Ida warmed considerably, and she was delighted when I said I could milk a goat.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
The miner has been aiming to finalize an initial public offering of a minority stake in its North American gold operations by the end of the year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2026
The five additional bathrooms are impressive, as well, offering expansive windows and closets equipped with refrigerators in each room.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 9, 2026
The ancient marine ecosystem preserves an exceptional mixture of surviving Jurassic lineages and emerging Cretaceous groups, offering a rare glimpse into a period of profound biological change.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 8, 2026
US President Donald Trump said Saturday he was offering a press secretary role to mixed martial arts executive and "violent fighter" Dana White.
From Barron's ● Nov. 7, 2026
They tried offering me cows: Our people believe even an infant understands about the cattle.
From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola
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