offer
offer — verb
1. to tell someone they can take a thing from you, or that you are ready to do a ta
to tell someone they can take a thing from you, or that you are ready to do a task for them, if they want it.
Mr. Chen offered Lisa a slice of cake when she arrived for tea.
offer + somebody + something (two objects)
Marcus offered to drive his grandmother to the hospital after her fall.
offer + to-infinitive
The young waiter offered a glass of cold water to every customer.
offer + something + to + somebody
"I can carry your suitcase upstairs," Daniel offered with a friendly smile.
offer + direct speech
Aunt Maya offered her old bicycle to any of the children who wanted it.
- kindly offer
- generously offer
- offer to help
- offer a ride
- offer an apology
Grammar Patterns
offer + somebody + something
offer + to do something
offer + something + to somebody
Usage Note
Frequently appears with two objects (offer her a job) or with a to-infinitive showing the action you are willing to perform (offer to help). Distinct from sense 2 (PROVIDE), which describes what a place, product, or system makes available rather than a personal gesture.
Common Mistakes
2. (of a place, company, or system) to make a service, a choice, or a good experien
(of a place, company, or system) to make a service, a choice, or a good experience available for people who want it.
The new café offers free Wi-Fi and quiet desks for students all afternoon.
subject is a business / place
This hiking trail offers stunning views of the mountains and the lake below.
subject = place; object = experience
The library offers parents free reading classes on Saturday mornings.
offer + somebody + something
Our hotel offers a hot breakfast, a small pool, and a shuttle to the airport.
The university offers more than thirty languages to its undergraduate students.
- offer a service
- offer a discount
- offer a wide range
- offer support
- offer training
- lack
the place does not have it at all
Grammar Patterns
offer + something
offer + somebody + something
Usage Note
Subject is typically an institution, business, place, or product, not a single person. Distinguish from sense 1: in sense 1 a person extends a personal gesture; here, an organization or location simply makes something available as part of what it provides.
Common Mistakes
3. to give an animal, food, flowers, or words of prayer to a god as part of a relig
to give an animal, food, flowers, or words of prayer to a god as part of a religious ceremony.
The villagers offered rice and fruit to the temple goddess every spring morning.
offer + gift + to + a god
Father Luca offered a quiet prayer for the families of the missing sailors.
offer + a prayer
Ancient farmers offered their first harvest at the stone altar near the river.
The old monk offered incense to the statue before he began chanting.
religious register
- offer a prayer
- offer a sacrifice
- offer incense
- offer thanks to God
Grammar Patterns
offer + something + to + a god
offer + a prayer / sacrifice
Usage Note
Strictly religious in this sense. Object is typically a prayer, sacrifice, food, flowers, or incense; recipient is a god, a deity, or a sacred image. If the object is a job or a price, you are in sense 1 or noun-sense territory, not this one.
Common Mistakes
To provide something useful or interesting that others want.
This small town has a lot to offer tourists.
Does your new job have anything to offer you?
offer your hand
idiomTo extend your hand to someone as a greeting or to shake hands.
Maya offered her hand to the new colleague.
He offered his hand and smiled warmly.
offer — noun
1. a statement that you are willing to give someone something or to do something fo
a statement that you are willing to give someone something or to do something for them.
Lina gratefully accepted Marcus's offer of a ride home in the heavy rain.
accept + an offer of + something
Thank you for your kind offer to babysit the twins on Friday evening.
an offer to + do something
The tired student turned down every offer of food after the long flight.
turn down + an offer
Diego made his neighbour a generous offer to fix the broken garden fence.
- accept an offer
- decline an offer
- a kind offer
- a generous offer
- an offer of help
- proposal
more formal; usually a plan written down or set out in detail
- invitation
specifically an offer to come somewhere or join in
- refusal
the response that rejects an offer
Grammar Patterns
an offer of + something
an offer to + do something
accept / refuse an offer
Usage Note
Typical verbs: accept, refuse, decline, turn down, take up. Often followed by 'of + noun' (an offer of help) or 'to + verb' (an offer to help). Distinct from sense 2, where the offer names a specific price.
Common Mistakes
2. the amount of money that someone formally proposes to pay for something they wan
the amount of money that someone formally proposes to pay for something they want to buy, especially a house or company.
The Wang family made an offer of three million dollars on the old farmhouse.
make an offer of + amount
After two weeks of silence, the seller finally accepted Maya's offer.
accept + somebody's offer
The estate agent told us our offer was too low for that quiet street.
Mr. Patel rejected every offer below the asking price for the bookshop.
reject + an offer
- make an offer
- accept an offer
- reject an offer
- raise an offer
- a fair offer
Grammar Patterns
make an offer (on / for something)
an offer of + amount
accept / reject an offer
Usage Note
Common in property and business deals. Typical verbs: make, accept, reject, raise, withdraw. Often combined with prepositions 'on' (an offer on the house) or 'for' (an offer for the company). Different from sense 3, which is a discount you are given by a shop.
Common Mistakes
3. a lower price that a shop or company gives on a product for a short time to attr
a lower price that a shop or company gives on a product for a short time to attract customers.
The bakery is running a great offer on birthday cakes throughout October.
an offer on + product category
Mom grabbed two bottles of olive oil because of the special offer this weekend.
special offer (collocation)
This offer ends on Sunday, so hurry to the shop before then.
Our supermarket has an unbeatable offer on coffee for new club members.
- special offer
- limited offer
- introductory offer
- an offer on
- this week's offer
Grammar Patterns
a special offer
an offer on + something
for a limited time only
Usage Note
Used by shops and advertisers, not by private buyers. Often appears with 'special' or 'limited-time'. Don't confuse with sense 2 — that is the buyer's price proposal; this is the shop's price reduction.
Common Mistakes
4. (in the phrase 'on offer') ready for people to buy, choose, or take part in.
(in the phrase 'on offer') ready for people to buy, choose, or take part in.
There are over fifty cheeses on offer at the new market near our school.
on offer (available to buy)
The festival has many free workshops on offer for children under twelve.
on offer (available to take part in)
Sara was amazed at the variety of jobs on offer at the careers fair.
Only three flavours were on offer when Daniel reached the ice-cream truck.
- on offer
- courses on offer
- products on offer
- what's on offer
- unavailable
cannot be obtained
Grammar Patterns
on offer
have / be on offer
Usage Note
Always in the fixed phrase 'on offer', not standing alone with this meaning. Different from sense 5 ('on (special) offer' = at a reduced price): here the focus is on availability, not price.
Common Mistakes
5. (in the phrase 'on (special) offer', mainly British) being sold for less money t
(in the phrase 'on (special) offer', mainly British) being sold for less money than the normal price for a short time.
Strawberries were on special offer at our local supermarket all last week.
on special offer (reduced price)
These running shoes are on offer for half the original price until Sunday.
on offer (price reduction)
Grandma always checks which biscuits are on offer before she fills her basket.
Bottled water is on special offer at every shop in the train station today.
- on special offer
- on offer this week
- items on offer
- on sale
American English equivalent for the reduced-price meaning
- discounted
adjective; emphasizes the reduction itself
- full price
the normal, non-reduced price
Grammar Patterns
on (special) offer
have / be on (special) offer
Usage Note
Mostly British English. Don't confuse with sense 4: 'on offer' alone often means simply 'available'; 'on (special) offer' specifically means the price has been reduced. Context usually makes the difference clear.
Common Mistakes
6. (of a property, mainly British) in a situation where a buyer has already propose
(of a property, mainly British) in a situation where a buyer has already proposed a price that the seller is considering, but the sale is not yet final.
The little cottage near the harbour went under offer two days after the viewing.
go under offer (real-estate)
Most of the flats on this street are already under offer this spring.
be under offer (state)
Carlos was disappointed to hear that his dream house was under offer to another family.
Three of the larger houses on Maple Street went under offer last weekend.
- go under offer
- be under offer
- under offer to + buyer
- sale agreed
British property phrase for the same stage
- pending
American real-estate label for sales not yet closed
- on the market
still openly looking for a buyer
Grammar Patterns
under offer
be / go under offer
Usage Note
Used almost exclusively in British property listings. The sale is not legally complete yet, so it could still fall through. Distinguish from sense 2 (the offer itself): here we are describing the property's status, not the price proposal.
Common Mistakes
have a lot to offer
idiomto have many useful qualities, skills, or features that other people would find valuable.
Despite the rough start, this small mountain town has a lot to offer young families.
Don't underestimate Priya — she has a lot to offer any design team.
offer your hand
idiomto put out your hand so that someone can shake it as a polite greeting.
The new manager smiled warmly and offered his hand to every employee at the door.
Yuki offered her hand to the visiting professor before the meeting started.
Word family
- offeringnounB2
- offeredadjectiveB2
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
All four verbs involve putting something forward, but they differ in commitment and politeness. 'Offer' is the most common everyday choice — it tells the other person something is available, but they can still say no (Marcus offered Lina a lift). 'Give' is much stronger: the thing has actually changed hands, with no choice for the receiver to refuse (He gave Lina the keys). 'Propose' is more formal and abstract, used for plans, ideas, or arrangements rather than physical things (She proposed a new schedule for the team). 'Volunteer' specifically stresses that you act without being asked, often for a task no one else wants (Daniel volunteered to clean the storeroom). Pick 'offer' when politeness and the other person's choice matter; pick 'volunteer' when you want to highlight willingness.
Common collocations
Adverbs
- kindly
- generously
- freely
- publicly
- officially
Phrases
- offer to help
- make an offer
- accept an offer
- decline an offer
- special offer
- best offer
- limited-time offer
Prepositions
- offer something to somebody
- an offer of
- an offer on
- an offer for
- on offer
- under offer
Etymology
Old English 'offrian' meant to present something at an altar as part of worship, borrowed early from Latin 'offerre' (literally 'bring towards', from 'ob-' = towards + 'ferre' = to carry). The worship sense is therefore the oldest, and the modern everyday meaning of holding something out for another person to take grew naturally out of that ceremonial gesture during the Middle English period. The noun forms emerged later from the same verb root, eventually covering proposals, prices, and store discounts in modern commercial English.