proposition
Americannoun
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the act of offering or suggesting something to be considered, accepted, adopted, or done.
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a plan or scheme proposed.
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an offer of terms for a transaction, as in business.
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a thing, matter, or person considered as something to be dealt with or encountered.
Keeping diplomatic channels open is a serious proposition.
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anything stated or affirmed for discussion or illustration.
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Rhetoric. a statement of the subject of an argument or a discourse, or of the course of action or essential idea to be advocated.
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Logic. a statement in which something is affirmed or denied, so that it can therefore be significantly characterized as either true or false.
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Mathematics. a formal statement of either a truth to be demonstrated or an operation to be performed; a theorem or a problem.
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a proposal of usually illicit sexual relations.
verb (used with object)
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to propose sexual relations to.
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to propose a plan, deal, etc., to.
noun
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a proposal or topic presented for consideration
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philosophy
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the content of a sentence that affirms or denies something and is capable of being true or false
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the meaning of such a sentence: I am warm always expresses the same proposition whoever the speaker is Compare statement
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maths a statement or theorem, usually containing its proof
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informal a person or matter to be dealt with
he's a difficult proposition
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an invitation to engage in sexual intercourse
verb
Synonym Usage
See proposal.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has propositionedperfect 3rd person singular
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have propositionedperfect
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propositioningparticiple
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has been propositioningperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is propositioningprogressive 3rd person singular
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propositionssingular 3rd person
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have been propositioningperfect progressive
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are propositioningprogressive
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am propositioningprogressive 1st person singular
Past
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had propositionedperfect
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had been propositioningperfect progressive
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propositionedsimple
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were propositioningprogressive plural
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propositionedparticiple
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was propositioningprogressive singular
Future
Etymology
Origin of proposition
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English proposicio(u)n, from Latin prōpositiōn- (stem of prōpositiō ) “a setting forth.” See propositus, -ion
Explanation
A proposition is a proposed plan of action, a detailed suggestion. You might consider your friend's suggestion to set up a neighborhood snow-shoveling business after the blizzard a winning proposition. The noun proposition means something presented for consideration. In some contexts, that something being offered is sexual. Therefore, don't use the term proposition loosely. If you say that you made a proposition to your teacher, people could misinterpret you. It's safer to stick with suggestion.
Vocabulary lists containing proposition
Power Prefix: pro
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Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" (1863)
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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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.
The value proposition of generative AI is that it streamlines the process of communicating by skipping connective thought processes.
From Salon • Jun. 10, 2026
For hundreds of thousands of Indians, merchant shipping jobs are a lucrative proposition despite the inherent risks.
From Barron's • May 25, 2026
Chief Executive Bob Eddy said the company’s value proposition continued to resonate with consumers across both its clubs and its gas stations during the latest quarter.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
“We delivered a strong first quarter as our value proposition continued to resonate with members across our clubs and at our gas stations,” said CEO Bob Eddy.
From MarketWatch • May 22, 2026
Colonel Aureliano Buendía was not alarmed by the coldness of the proposition but by the way in which, by a fraction of a second, it had anticipated his own thoughts.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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.
