propose
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to offer or suggest (a matter, subject, case, etc.) for consideration, acceptance, or action.
to propose a new method.
- Antonyms:
- withdraw
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to offer (a toast).
-
to suggest.
He proposed that a messenger be sent.
-
to present or nominate (a person) for some position, office, membership, etc.
-
to put before oneself as something to be done; design; intend.
-
to present to the mind or attention; state.
-
to propound (a question, riddle, etc.).
verb (used without object)
-
to make an offer or suggestion, especially of marriage.
-
to form or consider a purpose or design.
verb
-
(when tr, may take a clause as object) to put forward (a plan, motion, etc) for consideration or action
-
(tr) to nominate, as for a position
-
(tr) to plan or intend (to do something)
I propose to leave town now
-
(tr) to announce the drinking of (a toast) to (the health of someone, etc)
-
to make an offer of marriage (to someone)
Synonym Usage
See intend.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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proposernoun
-
misproposeverb
-
reproposeverb
-
proposableadjective
-
unproposableadjective
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unproposingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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proposesimple
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proposessimple
-
have proposedperfect
-
has proposedperfect
-
am proposingprogressive
-
are proposingprogressive
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is proposingprogressive
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have been proposingperfect progressive
-
has been proposingperfect progressive
Past
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proposedsimple
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had proposedperfect
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was proposingprogressive
-
were proposingprogressive
-
had been proposingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of propose
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French proposer ( see pro- 1, pose 1), by association with derivatives of Latin prōpositus, past participle of prōpōnere “to set forth;” See propositus
Explanation
The verb propose means "to suggest a plan," like the most well-known thing to propose: marriage. If you propose to your girlfriend, you propose getting married, and you probably give her a ring, too. The word propose comes from the Old French root words pro, meaning "forth" and poser, meaning "put, place." Using propose to refer to an offer of marriage was first recorded in the 1700s but the verb also has other meanings. It can mean to present for consideration or criticism, like proposing a four-day school week or "to nominate someone for an elected office or official post."
Vocabulary lists containing propose
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 5
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 3
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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.
See Examples For:
The growing popularity of e-bikes prompted a Los Angeles City Council panel in April to propose banning e-bikes from local trails.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
The French company intends to propose an exceptional preclosing distribution of 11 euros a share, the companies said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
He added that in the longer term, Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which Greer tapped to propose duties on dozens of countries, provides "more flexibility than people realize."
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Rather than waiting for cancer to return after an initial treatment, the researchers propose switching to another therapy while the tumor is still shrinking.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
And then my parents walk over to propose a celebratory trip to The Varsity.
From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli
To fund the 5½-year gap until Social Security, the adviser proposes not having a fixed withdrawal strategy.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Recent research from Lund University and the University of Sussex proposes that the earliest ancestor of vertebrates passed through a cyclops-like stage nearly 600 million years ago.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
It’s not a level playing field, which is why our white paper proposes enhanced revenue opportunities for the other conferences, by creating the ability to pool media rights.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
Then she meets a wealthy charmer, played by Neill, and he proposes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
One side proposes that Monte Alban formed because maize agriculture allowed the Oaxaca Valley’s population to grow so much that the rural villages naturally clustered into something resembling cities.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Tommy Sheridan, deputy director of the National Head Start Assn., said the organization has yet to see the proposed rules.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
If the government believes that a proposed AI deployment could pose crucial national-security risks, there would be a clear avenue for assessment and mitigation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
During the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed social insurance as a new approach to economic security.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
Thrive Eternal was expected to lead the proposed investor group for FFE.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
As a result, by the time Jefferson had arrived in New York in March, sixteen possible sites had been proposed but had failed to muster a majority.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
President Trump in March directed the FTC to consider proposing regulations that would require online marketplaces to establish procedures for verifying country-of-origin claims.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
As the threat of artificial intelligence continues to creep into the music industry, major record labels are proposing new guidelines for how music generated by artificial intelligence should be treated on the charts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
Stott is now proposing that they could also become home to the sound of bagpipes.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
Instead of proposing Waddingham as a Bond co-star, she’s the expertly skilled agent flanked by a best friend with an equally formidable intellect – the Moneypenny to her 007.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
What exactly was this guy proposing that was so scary?
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
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.
