offering

offering — noun

1. a thing that you hand to another person, group, or god, often as a gesture of re

1.nounB2
Definition

a thing that you hand to another person, group, or god, often as a gesture of respect, thanks, or worship.

Example

Lina placed a small offering of rice and fruit before the temple statue.

an offering of [thing] in a worship context

Marcus brought flowers to his neighbour as a peace offering after their argument.

fixed phrase: a peace offering

Common collocations
  • a peace offering
  • a small offering
  • burnt offering
  • make an offering
  • leave an offering
Synonyms
  • gift

    everyday word; lacks the ceremonial or symbolic weight of 'offering'

  • donation

    money or goods given to a charity or cause; less personal

  • sacrifice

    specifically something valuable surrendered, often to a god

  • tribute

    given to show respect, often to a powerful person or memory

Grammar Patterns

an offering of [thing]

an offering to [recipient]

Usage Note

Frequently used in religious or ceremonial contexts (gifts to a god, spirit, or temple), but also in everyday situations where the gift carries a symbolic meaning, such as making peace or showing thanks. Distinguish from the noun 'offer', which names a proposal or invitation, not the physical thing handed over.

Common Mistakes

She made me an offering of dinner next Friday.
She made me an offer of dinner next Friday.
an 'offer' is a proposal or invitation; an 'offering' is the actual thing you give.
Idioms

a peace offering

idiom

something you give to another person to show that you are sorry and want to end a quarrel.

Daniel baked cookies for his sister as a peace offering after the shouting match.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words name something handed over to another party, but the contexts differ. 'Gift' is the everyday word for any item given freely, with no ceremonial weight — a birthday present is a gift, not an offering. 'Offering' carries a symbolic or ceremonial meaning: it is given to a god, a temple, or a person you wish to show respect, thanks, or peace toward. 'Donation' is money or goods given to a charity, school, or cause, and is more impersonal — you donate to a hospital, but you bring an offering to a shrine. 'Sacrifice' is the strongest word: it names something valuable, sometimes a living animal, given up to a god. Compare: 'She brought a birthday gift,' 'The family left an offering at the family altar,' 'The company made a large donation to the food bank,' and 'Ancient priests prepared a sacrifice on the stone altar.'

offering ↗gift ↗donation ↗sacrifice ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • peace offering
  • burnt offering
  • temple offering
  • Sunday offering
  • thank offering

Phrases

  • make an offering
  • leave an offering
  • bring an offering
  • accept an offering
  • a small offering

Prepositions

  • an offering of [thing]
  • an offering to [god / person]

Etymology

LatinOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed in English from the verb 'offer' plus the noun-making suffix '-ing', meaning 'the thing offered'. 'Offer' itself comes from Old English 'offrian' (to present or sacrifice to a god), borrowed from Latin 'offerre' ('to bring before'). The religious sense — a gift placed before a god — was the earliest use, and the broader sense of any item presented to someone developed later.