propose
Americanverb (used with object)
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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.
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to put before oneself as something to be done; design; intend.
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to present to the mind or attention; state.
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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
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(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
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(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
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proposesimple
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proposessimple
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have proposedperfect
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has proposedperfect
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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
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were proposingprogressive
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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:
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
“I can’t think of a more offensive thing to propose when I have friends who lost family members in the fire,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
An alternative might be for him to propose them in a sufficiently attractive way that would make it hard for any devolved government to resist.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Costco’s Southern California stand-alone station was built at the site of a former Bed Bath & Beyond, according to local city planning documents filed to propose the redevelopment last year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
“I have reconsidered my position. Clearly, a guidebook written by looking through a window simply will not work. Instead, I propose we go outdoors and observe the birds in their natural habitat, so to speak.”
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
To fund the 5½-year gap until Social Security, the adviser proposes not having a fixed withdrawal strategy.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Mr. Woolfson’s book, which is subtitled “Authoring Life by Means of Artificial Biological Intelligence,” proposes not the gene-by-gene editing of today’s most ambitious therapies but a more radical rewriting of the human genome.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
A new study led by Richard Pinčák and published in General Relativity and Gravitation proposes a different outcome.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 5, 2026
The bill proposes for around $106 million over four years after approval to cover the work of the expert panel, district preparation and teacher training before the 2028-29 test mandate would take effect.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
No, honey, I said Warren proposes ... to the garbage collector.
From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee
After Paramount agreed Friday to delay its proposed merger with Warner Bros.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
The proposed structure reflects a shift under way in how the largest AI build-outs are being financed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Licensing and “kill switches,” like the one proposed Thursday in Congress, control deployment; by then the danger is already in the weights.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Burnham first proposed a universal system of social care in England in 2009 when he was health secretary under Gordon Brown.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
He had originally proposed the concept in Hereditary Genius as early as 1869—thirty years before the rediscovery of Mendel—but left the idea unexplored, concentrating, instead, on the mechanism of heredity.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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
Patients are no longer responsible for those bills, but their insurers battle doctors over how much they will have to pay, with each side proposing an amount to arbitrators.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
The firm is proposing closing its facility at Cantley in the Norfolk Broads to "improve efficiency and support the long-term future" of the UK sugar industry.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
"All the initiatives we were proposing started to be blocked, and Syrsky... is not ready to look you in the eye and openly talk about those problems," he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 16, 2026
Papi comes back out and Mami explains what Mundín is proposing.
From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez
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.
