OFFER (offer)

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does offer mean? 

• OFFER (noun)
  The noun OFFER has 3 senses:

1. the verbal act of offering

2. something offered (as a proposal or bid)

3. a usually brief attempt

  Familiarity information: OFFER used as a noun is uncommon.

• OFFER (verb)
  The verb OFFER has 13 senses:

1. make available or accessible, provide or furnish

2. present for acceptance or rejection

3. agree freely

4. put forward for consideration

5. offer verbally

6. make available for sale

7. propose a payment

8. produce or introduce on the stage

9. present as an act of worship

10. mount or put up

11. make available; provide

12. ask (someone) to marry you

13. threaten to do something

  Familiarity information: OFFER used as a verb is familiar.

 Dictionary entry details 

• OFFER (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The verbal act of offering

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

offer; offering

Context example:

a generous offer of assistance

Hypernyms ("offer" is a kind of...):

speech act (the use of language to perform some act)

Derivation:

offer (make available or accessible, provide or furnish)

offer (present for acceptance or rejection)

offer (offer verbally)

offer (make available; provide)

offer (agree freely)

offer (present as an act of worship)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Something offered (as a proposal or bid)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

offer; offering

Context example:

noteworthy new offerings for investors included several index funds

Hypernyms ("offer" is a kind of...):

content; message; subject matter; substance (what a communication that is about something is about)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "offer"):

marriage offer; marriage proposal; proposal; proposal of marriage (an offer of marriage)

twofer (an offer of two for the price of one)

olive branch; peace offering (something offered to an adversary in the hope of obtaining peace)

special (a special offering (usually temporary and at a reduced price) that is featured in advertising)

rights issue; rights offering (an offering of common stock to existing shareholders who hold subscription rights or pre-emptive rights that entitle them to buy newly issued shares at a discount from the price at which they will be offered to the public later)

reward (the offer of money for helping to find a criminal or for returning lost property)

prospectus (a formal written offer to sell securities (filed with the SEC) that sets forth a plan for a (proposed) business enterprise)

bid; tender (a formal proposal to buy at a specified price)

counteroffer (an offer made by someone who has rejected a prior offer)

proposition (an offer for a private bargain (especially a request for sexual favors))

contract offer (offer by an employer to contract to pay an employee at a given rate)

tender offer (an offer to buy shares in a corporation (usually above the market price) for cash or securities or both)

Derivation:

offer (propose a payment)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A usually brief attempt

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

crack; fling; go; offer; pass; whirl

Context example:

I gave it a whirl

Hypernyms ("offer" is a kind of...):

attempt; effort; endeavor; endeavour; try (earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something)

• OFFER (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Make available or accessible, provide or furnish

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Context example:

The hotel offers private meeting rooms

Hypernyms (to "offer" is one way to...):

furnish; provide; render; supply (give something useful or necessary to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "offer"):

accost; hook; solicit (approach with an offer of sexual favors)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody something
Somebody ----s something to somebody

Sentence examples:

They offer cars to the tourists
They offer the tourists their cars

Derivation:

offer (the verbal act of offering)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Present for acceptance or rejection

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

offer; proffer

Context example:

She offered us all a cold drink

Hypernyms (to "offer" is one way to...):

give (transfer possession of something concrete or abstract to somebody)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "offer"):

tender (make a tender of; in legal settlements)

give (proffer (a body part))

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody something
Somebody ----s something to somebody

Derivation:

offer (the verbal act of offering)

offeror; offerer (someone who presents something to another for acceptance or rejection)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Agree freely

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

offer; volunteer

Context example:

I offered to help with the dishes but the hostess would not hear of it

Hypernyms (to "offer" is one way to...):

act; move (perform an action, or work out or perform (an action))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s to INFINITIVE

Sentence examples:

They offer him to write the letter
They offer to move

Derivation:

offer (the verbal act of offering)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Put forward for consideration

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Context example:

He offered his opinion

Hypernyms (to "offer" is one way to...):

project; propose (present for consideration, examination, criticism, etc.)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

offering (something offered (as a proposal or bid))

Sense 5

Meaning:

Offer verbally

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

extend; offer

Context example:

He offered his sympathy

Hypernyms (to "offer" is one way to...):

give; pay (convey, as of a compliment, regards, attention, etc.; bestow)

Verb group:

extend; offer (make available; provide)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody something
Somebody ----s something to somebody

Derivation:

offer; offering (the verbal act of offering)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Make available for sale

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Context example:

The stores are offering specials on sweaters this week

Hypernyms (to "offer" is one way to...):

market (engage in the commercial promotion, sale, or distribution of)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "offer"):

put up (make available for sale at an auction)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 7

Meaning:

Propose a payment

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

bid; offer; tender

Context example:

The Swiss dealer offered $2 million for the painting

"Offer" entails doing...:

bargain; dicker (negotiate the terms of an exchange)

Domain category:

auction; auction sale; vendue (the public sale of something to the highest bidder)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "offer"):

by-bid (bid on behalf of someone else)

subscribe (offer to buy, as of stocks and shares)

overbid (bid more than the object is worth)

underbid (bid too low)

outbid (bid higher than others)

underbid (bid lower than a competing bidder)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

offer (something offered (as a proposal or bid))

Sense 8

Meaning:

Produce or introduce on the stage

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Context example:

The Shakespeare Company is offering 'King Lear' this month

Hypernyms (to "offer" is one way to...):

bring on; bring out; produce (bring onto the market or release)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 9

Meaning:

Present as an act of worship

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

offer; offer up

Context example:

offer prayers to the gods

Hypernyms (to "offer" is one way to...):

worship (attend religious services)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "offer"):

sacrifice (make a sacrifice of; in religious rituals)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

offer (the verbal act of offering)

offering (the act of contributing to the funds of a church or charity)

Sense 10

Meaning:

Mount or put up

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

offer; provide; put up

Context example:

offer resistance

Hypernyms (to "offer" is one way to...):

engage; wage (carry on (wars, battles, or campaigns))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 11

Meaning:

Make available; provide

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

extend; offer

Context example:

The bank offers a good deal on new mortgages

Hypernyms (to "offer" is one way to...):

furnish; provide; render; supply (give something useful or necessary to)

Verb group:

extend; offer (offer verbally)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody something
Somebody ----s something to somebody

Derivation:

offer (the verbal act of offering)

Sense 12

Meaning:

Ask (someone) to marry you

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

declare oneself; offer; pop the question; propose

Context example:

The old bachelor finally declared himself to the young woman

Hypernyms (to "offer" is one way to...):

request (ask (a person) to do something)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s to somebody

Sense 13

Meaning:

Threaten to do something

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Context example:

I offered to leave the committee if they did not accept my proposal

Hypernyms (to "offer" is one way to...):

threaten (to utter intentions of injury or punishment against)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s to somebody

 Context examples 

She could only offer one solution; it was, perhaps, for Elizabeth's sake.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

He made me a sign to put them again into my purse, and the purse again into my pocket, which, after offering it to him several times, I thought it best to do.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

And as to making me an offer, or anything like it, there must be some unaccountable mistake.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

"Shall I have the pleasure of seeing Miss Fairfax to-night?" I asked, when I had partaken of what she offered me.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Time and again, whenever opportunity offered, he hinted about the purpose of his business.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

That was a new moon solar eclipse that likely opened a new career path with the offer of a great opportunity.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

Henry, who is good-nature itself, has offered to fetch it in his barouche.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

Delightful, charming, superior, first circles, spheres, lines, ranks, every thing—and Mrs. Elton was wild to have the offer closed with immediately.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

One is not offered a beautiful princess and half a kingdom every day of one’s life!

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

I had nothing better to offer, than another timid, “Oh, indeed!”

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)