offer

AW-fur/ˈɔfɚ/UKO-fuh/ˈɒfə(ɹ)/

Verboffers, offering, offered

Noun pluraloffers

14 meanings of offer

Practice

1
provideverbtransitive
To present something to view, or to provide it for use or consideration.
The new wing offered patients far more natural light.
Wide windows offer travelers a clear view of the passing coast.
UsageUsually a place or thing is the subject: a window offers a view; the shelves offer plenty of space.
Similarshowcase, provide, present
Note
Nothing is proposed and no one waits for a reply, which separates it from the "accept or refuse" meaning.
2
verbtransitive
To hold out something to a particular person so that they can choose to take it or refuse it.
The manager offered the new recruits a flexible schedule.
Charities often offer struggling families short-term loans.
Usageoffer someone something or offer something to someone: she offered him a drink.
Similarextend
Oppositewithhold, withdraw
3
nouncountable
Something a person proposes to give, do, or pay, put forward for someone else to accept or reject.
His generous offer to cover the costs was accepted at once.
The committee considered every offer before reaching a decision.
UsageYou make an offer; others accept, decline or turn down the offer. Also an offer of help, an offer to help.
Note
It readily takes to plus an infinitive: in the American novelist Winston Churchill's The Celebrity (1897) the narrator keeps rejecting offers from the Celebrity to join him in amusements.
4
be willingverbintransitive
To volunteer or declare one's willingness to do something.
A neighbor offered to walk the dog while they were away.
Volunteers regularly offer to drive elderly residents to appointments.
Usageoffer to + verb: she offered to help him (not ~~incorrect: offered him to help~~).
Similarvolunteer
Oppositerefuse, decline
5
sellverbtransitive
To present something for sale.
The gallery offered the painting to private collectors first.
Several farms offer seasonal produce at the weekend market.
UsageOften offer something for sale, or at a price: they offer used cars at low prices.
6
verbtransitive
To present something in words; to proffer, suggest, or propose.
She offered a few ideas for the new company logo.
Reviewers offer detailed feedback on each submitted manuscript.
UsageCommon with advice, an apology, an opinion or an explanation: he offered an apology.
Similarsuggest, propose
7
nouncountable
A discount or special deal on goods or services, typically one that lasts only a short while.
The introductory offer gives new subscribers three months of streaming at half price.
Several airlines are running limited-time offers on flights to Europe this winter.
UsageUsually in set phrases: a special offer, an introductory offer. On offer can mean discounted or simply available.
Similardeal, discount, promotion, special, bargain
8
verbtransitive
To put forward a sum one is willing to pay, such as a price, reward, or wage.
The collector offered a substantial sum for the rare manuscript.
Rival firms offer higher salaries to lure experienced engineers.
Usageoffer a sum for something: he offered five thousand dollars for the clock.
Similarbid
9
sacrificeverbtransitive
To give something to a deity as an act of worship or a sacrifice.
The family offered the first fruits of the harvest at the temple.
Pilgrims offer small coins and prayers before the sacred image.
UsageOften offer something to a god, or offer up a prayer or sacrifice.
Similarsacrifice, dedicate
Note
The King James Bible of 1611 pairs the verb with the noun it produced: "offer every day a bullock for a sin offering." Offer and offering remain the core vocabulary of sacrifice.
10
legal proposalnouncountable
An invitation to enter a binding contract, with terms definite enough to create an enforceable agreement once the other party accepts.
The supplier's written offer remained open for thirty days.
A clear acceptance of the offer completed the contract between the two firms.
Note
Contract law draws a firm line between a true offer and an invitation to talk. A letter that only tests whether the other side is interested is not an offer. An offer communicates terms definite enough that a simple acceptance, with no further bargaining, creates an enforceable contract. For most offers the practical test is whether a plain yes would be enough; a reward offer is accepted by doing the act instead.

Less common meanings

11
come upverbintransitive
To happen or present itself.
The occasion offers, and the youth complies.
1697, Virgil, “The Fourth Book of the Georgics”
Much was I disappointed upon learning that the little packet for Nantucket had already sailed, and that no way of reaching that place would offer, till the following Monday.
1851, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick
Similararise, occur
Note
An intransitive use whose subject is a chance: the occasion offers, the opportunity did not offer till morning, no way would offer till Monday. The usage runs from Dryden's Virgil (1697) through Cleland to Melville's Moby-Dick (1851). Nothing is named as being offered. The opportunity simply presents itself.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 5 facts
Dryden's translation of Virgil was published in 1697. library.rochester.edu
Dryden's Virgil contains the example 'the occasion offers'. gutenberg.org
Cleland uses 'offer' intransitively of an opportunity that does not present itself until morning. gutenberg.org
Moby-Dick is by Herman Melville and was first published in 1851. en.wikipedia.org
Moby-Dick contains an example about no means of reaching a destination presenting itself until Monday. gutenberg.org
12
show forceverbtransitive
To put forward in opposition; to manifest force in an offensive or defensive way, or to threaten.
The garrison offered stubborn resistance throughout the long siege.
Local officials warned that the crowd might offer resistance if the police tried to clear the square.
UsageUsually with resistance, battle or violence: the crowd offered no resistance.
Similarmount
Note
Here what is held out is opposition, not a gift: resistance, violence or battle. An army that offers battle stands ready to fight, and the other side may accept or decline.
13
verbobsolete
To attempt something, usually with at before what is attempted.
I will not offer at that I cannot master.
a. 1627 (date written), Francis [Bacon], “Considerations Touching a Warre with Spaine.”
He would be offering at the shepherd's voice.
1692, Roger L’Estrange, Fables
Note
The obsolete construction offer at meant "have a go at," and it can trip up modern readers. Francis Bacon will not offer at what he cannot master, and Swift's The Conduct of the Allies (1711) faults acting "without offering at any other remedy." Even without at, the verb could mean attempt. When Fielding's Tom Jones (1749) offers to stop a woman's mouth, he tries to rather than volunteers to.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 7 facts
Offer historically meant attempt, typically with at. en.wiktionary.org
Francis Bacon wrote that he would not offer at what he could not master. en.wiktionary.org
The Bacon passage uses the wording paraphrased in the note. en.wiktionary.org
Jonathan Swift's The Conduct of the Allies was first published in 1711. wellcomecollection.org
Swift criticizes entering the war without attempting another remedy; the quoted wording is accurate. celt.ucc.ie
Henry Fielding wrote Tom Jones, first published in 1749. en.wikipedia.org
The narrator describes Jones attempting to stop a woman's mouth; offer here means attempt. gutenberg.org
14
verb
To bring a part into position so that it can be fitted to an existing mechanical assembly.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of offer apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 3, 7, 10

This noun comes from Middle English 'offer', formed from the verb, which goes back to Old English 'offrian' ("to offer or make a sacrifice"). Old French 'offre' comes from the same Latin source, 'offerō' ("to present, bring before"). It is related to Dutch 'offer' ("offering, sacrifice") and German 'Opfer' ("victim, sacrifice").

Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 6 facts

The noun comes through Middle English from French offre; Old English offrian belongs to the history of the verb. Wiktionary gives the item's account, but the public-domain Webster distinguishes the noun's French connection from the verb's Old English derivation. gutenberg.org
Old English offrian means to offer or sacrifice. en.wiktionary.org
French offre ultimately derives from Latin offerō. en.wiktionary.org
Latin offerō means to present or bring before. en.wiktionary.org
Dutch offer is a related word meaning offering or sacrifice. en.wiktionary.org
German Opfer is a related word meaning victim or sacrifice. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 1–2, 4–6, 8–9, 11–13

This verb comes from Middle English 'offren'. In its religious senses it was inherited from Old English 'offrian' ("to offer, sacrifice"); otherwise it comes from Old French 'ofrir'. Both ultimately derive from Latin 'offerō' (literally "to bring to"), from 'ob' + 'ferō' ("to carry, bear"), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- ("to carry, bear"). It is cognate with German 'opfern' and Old Norse 'offra'.

Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 10 facts

The verb comes from Middle English offren. en.wiktionary.org
In religious senses, the verb was inherited from Old English offrian. en.wiktionary.org
Old English offrian meant to offer or sacrifice. en.wiktionary.org
The other senses come from Old French ofrir. en.wiktionary.org
Old English offrian ultimately derives from Latin offerō. en.wiktionary.org
Old French ofrir ultimately derives from Latin offerō, whose infinitive is offerre. en.wiktionary.org
Latin offerō literally means to bring to. en.wiktionary.org
Latin offerō consists of ob- and ferō, meaning to carry or bear. en.wiktionary.org
Latin ferō derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰer-, meaning to carry or bear. en.wiktionary.org
The verb is cognate with German opfern and Old Norse offra. en.wiktionary.org