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
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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
-
am proposingprogressive
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are proposingprogressive
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is proposingprogressive
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have been proposingperfect progressive
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has been proposingperfect progressive
Past
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proposedsimple
-
had proposedperfect
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was proposingprogressive
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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:
Farley said Ford didn’t propose such a framework.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Researchers propose that the ancestors of Dasosaurus tocantinensis reached South America by moving through North Africa sometime between 140 and 120 million years ago.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 8, 2026
Markham-Lee is a keen metal detectorist and the ring he used to propose to his partner was one he found buried deep in the mud at Walton-on-the-Naze.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
The French sometimes propose placing troops on the Israel-Lebanon “blue line” border of June 2000.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
They’d get tattoos in the parlors or propose to their sweethearts right on the sidewalk.
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
The report proposes 10 priority transitions, ranging from reducing black-carbon emissions and expanding glacier monitoring to improving disaster early-warning systems and changing the way tourism is developed in the mountains.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
The team proposes doing this by linking the electrons to a quantum computer built around trapped ions.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
Jensen proposes a machine-labor token tax to offset white-collar job disruption and fund safety oversight.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
For its part, CiviClick notes on its website that it supports SB 1159, and said its platform already complies with what the bill proposes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
No, honey, I said Warren proposes ... to the garbage collector.
From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee
The government has also proposed a minimum residency period in which the £100,000 cap would still apply for those who move back to the UK.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
The researchers hope their proposed explanation will ultimately give students a more consistent way to understand chemical bonding while providing scientists with a stronger conceptual basis for studying molecular structure and reactivity.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
NextEra Energy and Dominion Energy proposed an expanded state benefits package to regulators to secure approval for their $67 billion merger.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
There is no accurate way to measure the seismic impact of those words, which goes far beyond the limited potential effects of the proposed sanctions.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
The idea behind it—that every human has a unique fingerprint that cannot be altered—was proposed by the Scottish doctor Henry Faulds.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
Researchers led by Cardiff University and the University of Newcastle in Australia are proposing a simpler and more consistent explanation of the inductive effect.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
The move was sparked by a blog post written by Amodei proposing measures like global coordination among democracies and giving third-party evaluators employee-level access to verify safety and alignment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Because in addition to what the couple wants to build on Sazan, they are proposing to build 10,000 luxury villas on the Zvernec peninsula, which lies opposite the island.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
In the trial’s final minutes, Instagram boss Adam Mosseri was confronted with a 2021 email in which he excoriated underlings for proposing new child safety features on the heels of his testimony to Congress.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
Donelson, Feb. 16th Gen S. B. Buckner, Confed Army Sir: yours of this date proposing Armistice, and appointment of commissioners to settle terms of Capitulation is just received.
From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt
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.
