offer
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɒfə(ɹ)/
ipa: /ˈɔːfə(ɹ)/
ipa: /ˈɔfɚ/
ipa: /ˈɑfɚ/
rhymes: -ɒfə(ɹ)
rhymes: -ɔːfə(ɹ)
Forms: form: offers
form: offering
form: offered
form: offered
form: offre
form: offa
Etymology: From Middle English offren, offrien. In the religious senses inherited from Old English offrian (“to offer, sacrifice, bring an oblation”); otherwise from Old French ofrir. Both ultimately from Latin offerō (“to present, bestow, bring before”, literally “to bring to”), from Latin ob + ferō (“bring, carry”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to carry, bear”), later reinforced by Old French offrir (“to offer”). Cognate with Old Frisian offria (“to offer”), Old Dutch offrōn (“to offer”), German opfern (“to offer”), Old Norse offra (“to offer”). More at ob-, bear.
Senses: examples: text: She offered to help with her homework.
glosses: To propose or express one's willingness (to do something).
examples: text: Everybody offered an opinion.
glosses: To present in words; to proffer; to make a proposal of; to suggest.
examples: text: He offered use of his car for the week.
text: He offered his good will for the Councilman's vote.
text: Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers,[…]. Even such a boat as the Mount Vernon offered a total deck space so cramped as to leave secrecy or privacy well out of the question, even had the motley and democratic assemblage of passengers been disposed to accord either.
ref: 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter II, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
text: Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic[…]. Until 2008 there was denial over what finance had become.[…]But the scandals kept coming,[…]. A broad section of the political class now recognises the need for change but remains unable to see the necessity of a fundamental overhaul. Instead it offers fixes and patches.
ref: 2013 June 28, Joris Luyendijk, “Our banks are out of control”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 3, page 21:
synonyms: extend
glosses: To place at someone’s disposal; to present (something) to be either accepted or turned down.
synonyms: extend
glosses: To place at someone’s disposal; to present (something) to be either accepted or turned down.
To present (something) for sale.
examples: text: Thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement.
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus xxix:36:
glosses: To present (something) to God or gods, as a gesture of worship or as a sacrifice.
examples: text: The city offers beautiful architecture.
synonyms: offer up
showcase
glosses: To present (something) to the sight etc.; to provide for use, consideration etc.
raw_tags: of a thing
examples: text: The next stage is to remove and replace the top part of the right side lip, and offer the lid to the car to ensure all the shapes and gaps are okay.
ref: 2009, Roger Williams, Triumph TR2, 3, 3A, 4 & 4A:
topics: engineering
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: To place (something) in a position where it can be added to an existing mechanical assembly.
examples: text: I offered twenty dollars for it. The company is offering a salary of £30,000 a year.
glosses: To bid, as a price, reward, or wages.
examples: text: The occasion offers, and the youth complies.
ref: 1697, Virgil, “The Fourth Book of the Georgics”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
text: The opportunity however did not offer till next morning, for Phœbe did not come to bed till long after I was gone to ſleep:
ref: 1749, [John Cleland], “[Letter the First]”, in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [Fanny Hill], volume I, London: […] [Thomas Parker] for G. Fenton [i.e., Fenton and Ralph Griffiths] […], →OCLC, page 72:
english: Fanny Hill
translation: Fanny Hill
text: 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.
ref: 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, chapter 2, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 7:
glosses: To happen, to present itself.
examples: text: I will not offer at that I cannot master.
ref: a. 1627 (date written), Francis [Bacon], “Considerations Touching a Warre with Spaine. […]”, in William Rawley, editor, Certaine Miscellany Works of the Right Honourable Francis Lo. Verulam, Viscount S. Alban. […], London: […] I. Hauiland for Humphrey Robinson, […], published 1629, →OCLC:
text: He would be offering at the shepherd's voice.
ref: 1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], →OCLC:
text: [W]ithout offering at any other Remedy, without taking time to conſider the Conſequences, or to reflect on our own Condition, we haſtily engaged in a War which hath coſt us ſixty Millions; […]
ref: 1711 December 8 (Gregorian calendar), [Jonathan Swift], The Conduct of the Allies, and of the Late Ministry, in Beginning and Carrying on the Present War, 4th edition, London: […] John Morphew […], published 1711, →OCLC, pages 19–20:
text: Here Jones, after expressing the utmost uneasiness, offered to stop her mouth:—“Hey-day! why sure, Mr Jones, you will let me speak; I speaks no scandal, for I only says what I heard from others […]
ref: 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:
glosses: To make an attempt; typically used with at.
examples: text: to offer violence to somebody
text: The peasants offered no resistance as they were rounded up.
text: A car turned the corner and stopped, and three or four people emerged and approached her, grabbing her purse. When she offered resistance, one of the assailants took out a knife and stabbed her in the lower abdomen and legs.
ref: 1979 December 15, “Two Assaulted in Bay Village in Separate Incidents”, in Gay Community News, volume 7, number 21, page 3:
text: The Viet Cong and NVA tended to offer battle only when they felt that they held a tactical advantage – if they didn't they usually hunkered down in their nearly invisible bunkers and let the Americans pass.
ref: 2013, Andrew Wiest, Vietnam: A View from the Front Lines, page 125:
glosses: To put in opposition to; to manifest in an offensive or defensive way; to threaten.
Derived terms: offerable
offer affordances
offer a knee
offeree
offerer
offer one's condolences
offeror
offer the light
offer up
reoffer
Related terms: offering
offertory
oblate
oblation