offering
Americannoun
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something offered in worship or devotion, as to a deity; an oblation or sacrifice.
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a contribution given to or through the church for a particular purpose, as at a religious service.
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anything offered as a gift.
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something presented for inspection or sale.
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a sale.
our spring offering of furniture.
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the act of one who offers.
noun
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something that is offered
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a contribution to the funds of a religious organization
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a sacrifice, as of an animal, to a deity
Etymology
Origin of offering
First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English offrung; equivalent to offer + -ing 1
Explanation
An offering is a type of offer or bid, like the kind made in a business meeting. When you offer something—like a cookie—you're asking someone if they want it. An offering is like that: it's an offer. One type of offering is a proposal or bid made in business. A sports team could make an offering of three million dollars a year to a running back. A bidder could make an offering of one thousand dollars at an auction. An offering is a promise to pay that much if the offering is accepted.
Vocabulary lists containing offering
King Tut Day
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Ship Breaker
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Novel Study: The Road, Pages 1–175
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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.
Hubbard works for Dial, an independent charity offering debt advice in Great Yarmouth, where 14% of people are in need of help, the Money and Pensions Service has said.
From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026
And many anticipate it will invest several billion dollars in the initial public offering of Elon Musk’s SpaceX planned for later this spring.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026
The cores may also contain traces of ancient plants, offering clues about Greenland's past environment.
From Science Daily • Apr. 18, 2026
With neither party offering an alternative to policies of mass incarceration, recognizing the humanity of those convicted of crimes seems outlandish — and offering them a path to redemption seems downright heretical.
From Salon • Apr. 18, 2026
Somehow it didn’t feel right for me to be the one offering to take us all to the movies.
From "Lawn Boy" by Gary Paulsen
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.
