offer
gb/ˈɔfɚ/ us/ˈɔfɚ/
A2
English
~ 1200
Senses
0 senses
Verb
A2
action
1
present something for acceptance
To give someone the chance to take or have something.
Usage pattern:
to offer [something] to [someone]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'offer' with 'propose' when talking about suggestions; 'offer' is more general and can be for things or actions, not just ideas.
Synonyms
present (More formal; often used in official or ceremonial contexts.)
|
propose (Suggests putting forward an idea or plan rather than a physical object.)
Antonyms
withhold (To deliberately not give or make available.)
Collocations
offer help
|offer advice
|offer a job
|offer a seat
|offer a discount
Themes
daily life
|business
|social
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She offered me a cup of tea.
- They offered him a job in the marketing department.
- He offered his seat to the elderly woman.
- The company offered a 10% discount on all products.
- I offered my help with the project.
Learner examples
- I offered my friend some water.
- They offered me a pen.
- She offered to help me.
- He offered me his phone.
- We offered them some food.
Verb
A2
action
2
say you will do something
To say you want to help or do something for someone.
Usage pattern:
to offer to [do something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes forget 'to' before the verb, saying 'offered help' instead of 'offered to help' when talking about actions.
Synonyms
volunteer (Emphasizes doing something without being asked.)
Antonyms
refuse (To say no when asked or expected to do something.)
Collocations
offer to help
|offer to pay
|offer to drive
Themes
daily life
|social
|relationships
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She offered to drive me home.
- He offered to carry the heavy box.
- They offered to babysit for free.
- I offered to help him with his homework.
- We offered to clean up after the party.
Learner examples
- I offered to help my sister.
- He offered to open the door.
- She offered to make dinner.
- We offered to take him home.
- They offered to show us the way.
Noun
A2
entity
3
proposal to give something
When someone says they will give you something or do something for you, and you can say yes or no.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'offer' (noun) with 'sale'; an offer is a proposal, not the actual exchange.
Synonyms
proposal (More formal; common in business or legal contexts.)
|
bid (Often used in auctions or competitive offers.)
Antonyms
withdrawal (The act of taking back an offer made earlier.)
Collocations
job offer
|special offer
|make an offer
Themes
business
|daily life
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- I received a job offer from a tech company.
- The store has a special offer on shoes this week.
- They made an offer on the house.
- His offer of help was greatly appreciated.
- She turned down his offer of dinner.
Learner examples
- I got a job offer yesterday.
- The shop has a special offer today.
- He made an offer for my bike.
- She said no to his offer.
- They gave us an offer we liked.
Verb
B1
action
4
make available for sale
To say that something can be bought for a price.
Usage pattern:
to offer [something] for [price]
Synonyms
sell ('Sell' focuses on the act of exchanging goods for money, while 'offer' focuses on making goods available.)
Antonyms
remove from sale (To stop making something available for purchase.)
Collocations
offer for sale
|offer at a discount
Themes
business
|commerce
|finance
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- They are offering the car for $5,000.
- The store is offering laptops at half price.
- We are offering this book for only $10 this week.
- The gallery is offering several paintings for sale.
- The hotel is offering rooms at a reduced rate.
Learner examples
- They offer apples for one dollar each.
- The shop offers this bag for ten dollars.
- We offer tickets for five euros.
- The hotel offers rooms for $50 a night.
- He offers his bike for $100.
Grammar
Dictionary form
offer
IPA
GB/ˈɔfɚ/
US/ˈɔfɚ/
Syllables & stress
of - fer (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (of)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: offer
- Plural: offers
Verb
- Base: offer
- 3rd Person Singular: offers
- Present Participle: offering
- Past: offered
Word family
Forms
Expressions
make an offer
1/mˈeɪk ən ˈɔfɚ/
fixed phrase
propose giving under conditions
To say you will give something, usually money, under certain conditions.
Examples
- They made an offer on the house yesterday.
- I decided to make an offer for the antique table.
open offer
1/ˈoʊpən ˈɔfɚ/
fixed phrase
proposal without set deadline
A deal that stays available until someone says yes or it is stopped.
Examples
- The job comes with an open offer of relocation support.
- Our open offer stands until the end of the year.
special offer
1/spˈɛʃəl ˈɔfɚ/
fixed phrase
temporary deal with benefits
A short-time deal where you pay less or get more than usual.
Examples
- This week’s special offer is buy one, get one free.
- There’s a special offer on coffee today.
take up an offer
1/tˈeɪk ˈʌp ən ˈɔfɚ/
fixed phrase
accept someone's proposal
To say yes when someone gives you a chance or deal.
Examples
- I think I’ll take up their offer of free lessons.
- She took up his offer and moved into the spare room.