offer
verb (used with object)
to present for acceptance or rejection; proffer.
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offer
American
[aw-fer, of-er]
/ ˈɔ fər, ˈɒf ər /
verb (used with object)
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offers,
present (3rd person singular)
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offered,
past participle, past
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offering
present participle
-
to present for acceptance or rejection; proffer.
He offered me a cigarette.
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to propose or put forward for consideration.
to offer a suggestion.
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to propose or volunteer (to do something).
She offered to accompany me.
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to make a show of intention (to do something).
We did not offer to go first.
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to give, make, or promise.
She offered no response.
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to present solemnly as an act of worship or devotion, as to God, a deity or a saint; sacrifice.
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to present for sale.
He offered the painting to me at a reduced price.
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to tender or bid as a price.
to offer ten dollars for a radio.
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to attempt or threaten to do, engage in, or inflict.
to offer battle.
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to put forth; exert.
to offer resistance.
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to present to sight or notice.
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to introduce or present for exhibition or performance.
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to render (homage, thanks, etc.).
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to present or volunteer (oneself ) to someone as a spouse.
verb (used without object)
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offers,
present (3rd person singular)
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offered,
past participle, past
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offering
present participle
-
to present itself; occur.
Whenever an opportunity offered, he slipped off to town.
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to present something as an act of worship or devotion; sacrifice.
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to make a proposal or suggestion.
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to suggest oneself to someone for marriage; propose.
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Archaic. to make an attempt (followed byat ).
noun
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offers
plural
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an act or instance of offering.
an offer of help.
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the condition of being offered.
an offer for sale.
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something offered.
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a proposal or bid to give or pay something as the price of something else; bid.
an offer of $90,000 for the house.
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Law. a proposal that requires only acceptance in order to create a contract.
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an attempt or endeavor.
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a show of intention.
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a proposal of marriage.
offer
1
British
/ ˈɒfə /
verb
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to present or proffer (something, someone, oneself, etc) for acceptance or rejection
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(tr) to present as part of a requirement
she offered English as a second subject
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(tr) to provide or make accessible
this stream offers the best fishing
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(intr) to present itself
if an opportunity should offer
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(tr) to show or express willingness or the intention (to do something)
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(tr) to put forward (a proposal, opinion, etc) for consideration
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(tr) to present for sale
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(tr) to propose as payment; bid or tender
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to present (a prayer, sacrifice, etc) as or during an act of worship
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(tr) to show readiness for
to offer battle
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archaic (intr) to make a proposal of marriage
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(tr; sometimes foll by up or to) engineering to bring (a mechanical piece) near to or in contact with another, and often to proceed to fit the pieces together
noun
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something, such as a proposal or bid, that is offered
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the act of offering or the condition of being offered
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contract law a proposal made by one person that will create a binding contract if accepted unconditionally by the person to whom it is made See also acceptance
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a proposal of marriage
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short for offer price
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for sale at a reduced price
Offer
2
British
/ ˈɒfə /
acronym
Synonym Usage
Offer, proffer, tender mean to present for acceptance or refusal. Offer is a common word in general use for presenting something to be accepted or rejected: to offer assistance. Proffer, with the same meaning, is now chiefly a literary word: to proffer one's services. Tender (no longer used in reference to concrete objects) is a ceremonious term for a more or less formal or conventional act: to tender one's resignation.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonoffernoun
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offerernoun
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offerornoun
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preoffernoun
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reofferverb
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offerableadjective
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self-offeredadjective
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unofferedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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offersimple
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offerssimple
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have offeredperfect
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has offeredperfect
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am offeringprogressive
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are offeringprogressive
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is offeringprogressive
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have been offeringperfect progressive
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has been offeringperfect progressive
Past
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offeredsimple
-
had offeredperfect
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was offeringprogressive
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were offeringprogressive
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had been offeringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of offer
First recorded before 900; Middle English offren, Old English offrian “to present in worship,” from Latin offerre, equivalent to of- of- + ferre “to bring”; see bear 1
Explanation
You make an offer when you present your willingness to do something. People selling a house wait for the best offer. One person offers something, and another person accepts or rejects it. It's polite to offer guests something to drink and to offer a friend some space under your umbrella. A marriage proposal is a type of offer. A threat of violence is "an offer you can't refuse" in The Godfather. This word can mean a religious act as well, or — more grossly — the kind of offering a cat makes when it offers a dead mouse to its owner.
Vocabulary lists containing offer
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:
Fabrizio advised candidates to address concerns about electricity prices, pressure on power grids and water consumption rather than offer blanket support for new construction.
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026
Smaller homes can offer buyers a more affordable way into today’s difficult housing market, but there’s a catch: Homes with two bedrooms or fewer made up just 14% of listings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
There are encouraging signs that vaccines designed against other virus species could offer at least some protection, but Bundibugyo remains an example of a dangerous pathogen for which dedicated medical tools are limited.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
He invited the duty governor to review the decision but that offer was declined, in a move the judge described as "somewhat surprising".
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
But they greeted me with grave courtesy, murmuring what they had to offer as we shook hands.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Listed with David Offer of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, the property centers around a stunning great room that features wraparound windows and opens up into a “cook’s kitchen,” a dining area, and a family room.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
Appeared in the May 2, 2026, print edition as 'China’s ‘Teapot’ Refiners Offer Financial Lifeline to Iran'.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026
Under the Childcare Offer, parents and guardians can claim up to 30 hours of free childcare each week, provided they met a certain criteria.
From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2026
Appeared in the January 30, 2026, print edition as 'Tom Homan’s Good Offer to Minneapolis'.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026
Offer the berries, they’re worth nothing to him now.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
Amy, a working mother with a toddler, said: "He was on formula and it was expensive for the tins. They never had offers or promotions."
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
Sodium-ion offers a unique opportunity to break this supply-chain chokehold.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
The finding therefore offers more than a new location for Diplodocus.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
The group offers membership to anyone for free.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Diaz keeps talking, telling me about the classes the school offers and the kinds of programs you can learn to use on the computers.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
A sign at check-in offered a brief list of what was not permitted inside.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
James’s team told a prediction-market competitor that Polymarket had offered him $20 million a year, plus $50 million in equity, according to a person familiar with the talks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
Both Hanna and Ibrahim say they are forever grateful to the friends and family who offered them care and supported them as they grew up without their parents, despite the risks.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
When termites were offered both treated and untreated wood, the same concentration produced roughly 96 percent mortality.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
Marcie offered parting words, but see you later came out like she was a bit disappointed.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
A study led by researchers at the University of Tartu is now offering a much more detailed look at what happened during those centuries.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
Saylor never specified whose generational wealth will be transferred to whom, but the hope he was offering proved too much for most attendees to resist.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
The donors are offering $122,000 for information leading to the successful prosecution of anyone responsible.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Saunders also noted that a Dunkin’ promo this year offering a free tote bag with the purchase of a half-dozen doughnuts went over well with customers.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
“Boy, Grandpa, that’s a lot of money. How come they’re offering such a big reward for a bunch of little old monkeys?”
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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.
