proposition

American  

[prop-uh-zish-uhn] / ˌprɒp əˈzɪʃ ən /

noun

1. the act of offering or suggesting something to be considered, accepted, adopted, or done.

2. a plan or scheme proposed.

3. an offer of terms for a transaction, as in business.

4. a thing, matter, or person considered as something to be dealt with or encountered.

   Keeping diplomatic channels open is a serious proposition.

5. anything stated or affirmed for discussion or illustration.

6. Rhetoric. a statement of the subject of an argument or a discourse, or of the course of action or essential idea to be advocated.

7. Logic. a statement in which something is affirmed or denied, so that it can therefore be significantly characterized as either true or false.

8. Mathematics. a formal statement of either a truth to be demonstrated or an operation to be performed; a theorem or a problem.

9. a proposal of usually illicit sexual relations.

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verb (used with object)

1. to propose sexual relations to.

2. to propose a plan, deal, etc., to.

proposition British  

/ ˌprɒpəˈzɪʃən /

noun

1. a proposal or topic presented for consideration

2. philosophy

   1. the content of a sentence that affirms or denies something and is capable of being true or false

   2. the meaning of such a sentence: I am warm always expresses the same proposition whoever the speaker is Compare statement

3. maths a statement or theorem, usually containing its proof

4. informal a person or matter to be dealt with

   he's a difficult proposition

5. an invitation to engage in sexual intercourse

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verb

1. (tr) to propose a plan, deal, etc, to, esp to engage in sexual intercourse

Related Words

See proposal.

Other Word Forms

• propositional adjective
• propositionally adverb
• underproposition noun

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

Example Sentences

For many consumers, celebrating Easter has become an increasingly expensive proposition.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 2, 2026

Ultimately, though, Galsworthy’s question is much simpler than such a heady proposition.

From Salon • Mar. 28, 2026

That has become more of a value proposition for travelers as Transportation Security Administration staff members have been working without a paycheck and hundreds of them have called in sick.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

If Spurs are in the Premier League they would be hugely attractive proposition to De Zerbi, but he may well have other options in the summer having been heavily linked with Manchester United.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

In other words, the world is full of cases where both proposition A and proposition B are correct; or where both are wrong.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

Related Words

• hypothesis
• invitation
• motion
• premise
• proposal
• recommendation