propose
Americanverb (used with object)
-
proposes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
proposed,
past participle, past
-
proposing
present participle
-
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)
-
proposes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
proposed,
past participle, past
-
proposing
present participle
-
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
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misproposeverb
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reproposeverb
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proposableadjective
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unproposableadjective
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unproposingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
proposesimple
-
proposessimple
-
have proposedperfect
-
has proposedperfect
-
am proposingprogressive
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are proposingprogressive
-
is proposingprogressive
-
have been proposingperfect progressive
-
has been proposingperfect progressive
Past
-
proposedsimple
-
had proposedperfect
-
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:
Based on these findings, the researchers propose that oxygen should be recognized as an independent component of silicate melts, rather than being considered only in relation to other elements.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026
A separate law lets tribes comment on general plans that outline where developers can propose housing, and commercial and industrial facilities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
“I propose a new, audacious, and perhaps desperate strategy: a ‘jailbreak,’ ” it wrote to two others, proceeding to divvy up research tasks.
From Slate ● Oct. 25, 2026
Jones said he and actor Marj Hogarth, who are renovating a Grade II-listed chapel in Pwllheli, were on tour "and I just thought I ought to really propose to her on Welsh soil".
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
Its emissaries had boasted to Congress that the city could deliver a grander and more appropriate setting than anything New York, Washington, or any other city could propose.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
The plan, which comes after initial discussions with individual engine manufacturers on a one-to-one basis, proposes cheaper, lighter, simpler engines with a more visceral sound.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
Demonstrators on Europe’s streets, its editorial proposes, are “consumed by rage”:
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2026
Neither state proposes an alternative to the Interior Department’s allocation; the thrust of their case is that the Interior Department hasn’t followed the law in imposing its own measures.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
One widely accepted scientific hypothesis proposes that people tend to avoid movement when it feels physically demanding or requires substantial energy.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
If anyone proposes another match race between these two super horses,” wrote a reporter after the race, “henceforth, he will be tried in the morning for treason, mutiny, mopery and non compos mentis.'''’
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
The proposed defences would see manmade rock headlands built on the beach to trap sand and prevent the loss of the town's sandy beaches.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
A newly proposed deal would be financed in stock and target the hot optical-networking market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
During the 1930s, physicist Wolfgang Pauli proposed that an unknown particle might explain why energy appeared to be missing during certain forms of radioactive decay.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026
The announcement comes amid strained relations between Washington and both countries, with the proposed termination threatening their access to preferential trade arrangements with the US.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
One anonymous pilot’s future husband proposed to her among the ruins of Berlin just after the war ended.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
It is now proposing new powers that would allow it to force telecoms companies to hand over information or modify or disable services in connection with specific threats or incidents.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
In July, he called Cooks proposing an entirely new series, this time looking beyond a European lineage to one rooted in L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
Gross trained Idealab.ai on a huge database of journalistic and professional articles, with an eye toward finding problem statements and then proposing business ideas to solve them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
UniCredit is notably proposing to make cuts in Commerzbank’s international network, deemed too complex and inefficient, and to refocus the bank on its activities in Germany.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
Indeed, anyone proposing such a course must come under suspicion as a devotee of paralysis.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
