Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
of·fer \\ˈȯ-fər, ˈä-\\ verb
(of·fered ; of·fer·ing \\-f(ə-)riŋ\\) ETYMOLOGY Middle English offren, in sense 1, from Old English offrian, from Late Latin offerre, from Latin, to present, tender, from ob- toward + ferre to carry; in other senses, from Anglo-French offrir, from Latin offerre — more at bear
DATE before 12th century
transitive verb1.
a. to present as an act of worship or devotion : sacrifice
b. to utter (as a prayer) in devotion2.
a. to present for acceptance or rejection : tender
was offered a job
b. to present in order to satisfy a requirement
candidates for degrees may offer French as one of their foreign languages3.
a. propose
, suggest
offer a solution to a problem
b. to declare one's readiness or willingness
offered to help me4.
a. to try or begin to exert : put up
offered stubborn resistance
b. threaten
offered to strike him with his cane5. to make available : afford
; especially : to place (merchandise) on sale6. to present in performance or exhibition7. to propose as payment : bid
intransitive verb1. to present something as an act of worship or devotion : sacrifice
2. archaic : to make an attempt
3. to present itself4. to make a proposal (as of marriage)noun DATE 15th century
1.
a. a presenting of something for acceptance
considering job offers from several firms
an offer of marriage
b. an undertaking to do an act or give something on condition that the party to whom the proposal is made do some specified act or make a return promise2. obsolete : offering
3. a price named by one proposing to buy : bid
4.
a. attempt
, try
b. an action or movement indicating a purpose or intention
• • •
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on offer
offer
offer (v.) O.E. ofrian, from L. offerre "to present, bestow, bring before" (in L.L. "to present in worship"), from ob "to" + ferre "to bring, to carry" (see infer). Non-religious sense reinforced by O.Fr. offrir "to offer," from L. offerre. The noun is first recorded 1433, from O.Fr. offre (12c.), verbal noun from offrir. The native noun formation is offering (O.E. offrung), verbal noun from offrian.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7
☞ offeroffer /
5CfE(r);
NAmE 5C:f-;
5B:f- /
verb1. ~ sth (to sb) (for sth) |
~ sb sth to say that you are willing to do sth for sb or give sth to sb
主动提出；自愿给予:
▪ [VN]
He offered $4 000 for the car. 他出价 4 000 元买这辆汽车。
Josie had offered her services as a guide. 乔西曾表示愿意当向导。
He offered some useful advice. 他提出了一些有益的建议。
▪ [VN VNN]
They decided to offer the job to Jo. 他们决定把这份工作给乔。
They decided to offer Jo the job. 他们决定让乔做这件工作。
▪ [VNN]
I gratefully took the cup of coffee she offered me. 我感激地接过她递来的一杯咖啡。
Taylor offered him 500 dollars to do the work. 泰勒愿出 500 元雇他做这件工作。
▪ [V to inf]
The kids offered to do the dishes. 孩子们主动要求洗盘子。
▪ [V speech]
'I'll do it,' she offered. "这个我来做吧。"她提议道。2. [VN] to make sth available or to provide the opportunity for sth
提供(东西或机会)；供应:
The hotel offers excellent facilities for families. 本旅馆提供优良的家庭服务设施。
The job didn't offer any prospects for promotion. 这份工作没有任何升迁的希望。
He did not offer any explanation for his behaviour. 他没有对自己的行为作出任何解释。3. [VN] ~ sth / sb (up) (to sb) (
formal) to give sth to God
奉献,祭献(给上帝):
We offered up our prayers for the men's safe return. 我们祈求上苍保佑他们平安归来。 IDIOMS ▪ have sth to offer
to have sth available that sb wants
能提供；能适合要求:
Oxford has a lot to offer visitors in the way of entertainment. 牛津能向来访者提供很多娱乐活动。
a young man with a great deal to offer (= who is intelligent, has many skills, etc.) 一个多才多艺的年轻人▪ offer your 'hand (
formal) to hold out your hand for sb to shake
伸出手(以便同别人握手)noun1. ~ (of sth / to do sth) an act of saying that you are willing to do sth for sb or give sth to sb
主动提议；建议:
Thank you for your kind offer of help. 谢谢你的好心帮助。
I accepted her offer to pay. 她要付款,我同意了。
to accept / refuse / decline an offer 接受/拒绝/谢绝好意
I took him up on his offer of a loan. 他主动借钱给我,我接受了。
You can't just turn down offers of work like that. 人家给你工作,你不能就那样一一谢绝呀。
an offer of marriage 结婚的请求2. ~ (for sth) an amount of money that sb is willing to pay for sth
出价；报价:
I've had an offer of $2 500 for the car. 有人向我出价 2 500 元买这辆汽车。
They've decided to accept our original offer. 他们已决定接受我们最初的报价。
The offer has been withdrawn. 那个报价已经撤销了。
They made me an offer I couldn't refuse. 他们提出了一个使我不好拒绝的报价。
The original price was £3 000, but I'm open to offers (= willing to consider offers that are less than that). 原价为 3 000 英镑,但价钱还可以商量。⇨ see also
o.n.o.
3. a reduction in the normal price of sth, usually for a short period of time
(通常为短期的)减价,削价；处理价；特价:
This special offer is valid until the end of the month. 这个特价优惠月底前有效。
See next week's issue for details of more free offers. 请见下周周刊有关更多免费赠品的详情。
They have an offer on beer at the moment. 他们目下正在打折卖啤酒。▪ on 'offer1. that can be bought, used, etc.
提供的；可买到；可使用:
The following is a list of courses currently on offer. 以下是目前所开设课程的清单。
Prizes worth more than £20 000 are on offer. 优胜者奖品总值逾 20 000 英镑。2. (especially BrE) on sale at a lower price than normal for a short period of time
短期内打折销售；削价出售:
Italian wines are on (special) offer this week. 意大利葡萄酒本周特价销售。▪ under 'offer(BrE)
if a house or other building is
under offer, sb has agreed to buy it at a particular price
(房屋或其他建筑物)已有买主出价,在洽售中 Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English
Oxford Collocations dictionary for students of Englishoffer
noun
1 of help or sth that is needed
ADJ. generous, kind | conditional, unconditional | job | peace
VERB + OFFER make (sb) He made me an offer I simply couldn't refuse | withdraw | accept, take up | decline, refuse, turn down
PREP. on ~ the range of goods on offer | ~ from I had to turn down a job offer from a theatre because the pay was too low. | ~ of They refused our offer of help.
2 special price/deal
ADJ. special | cheap | free I got the conditioner in a free offer with my shampoo. | introductory Your first order is delivered free as an introductory offer.
PREP. on ~ We have a number of bargains on offer.
3 amount of money
ADJ. acceptable, attractive, fair, favourable, reasonable | tempting | high, low We realized we would not get a higher offer. | final, initial | firm, formal Several people have made enquiries but no one has made a firm offer. | lucrative | pay | takeover | cash
VERB + OFFER make (sb), put in | withdraw | get, receive | listen to I'll listen to any reasonable offer. | accept | reject, turn down | increase, up They just kept upping their offer until I had to say yes.
OFFER + NOUN price
PREP. under ~ The property is currently under offer to a client. | ~ for Several people put in an offer for the house. | ~ of They accepted our offer of £80,000.
PHRASES be open to offers The asking price is £500 but I'm open to offers. | or near offer They are selling their car for £2,500 or near offer.
Oxford Collocations dictionary for students of Englishoffer
verb
1 give/provide sth; ask if sb would like sth
ADV. generously, kindly | helpfully | impulsively ‘Do you need any help?’ he offered impulsively.
VERB + OFFER be able/unable to, can/could the protection that life insurance can offer | appear to, seem to The plan seemed to offer real advantages. | fail to | be pleased to (formal), would like to I refer to your recent application and interview and am pleased to offer you the post of editor. | aim to, seek to | claim to They claim to offer a more comprehensive service than other firms. | be expected to, be likely to This investment is likely to offer a higher return. | be/feel compelled to, be forced to, be/feel obliged to She felt obliged to offer him a bed for the night. | have little/a lot/nothing, etc. to, have sth to This player has proved that he still has a lot to offer (= can still play well). The open evening is a chance to see what the college has to offer students.
PREP. to She offered drinks to her guests.
2 say that you will pay a certain amount
VERB + OFFER be able/unable to, can/could | be prepared to, be ready to, be willing to Would they be prepared to offer any more?
PREP. for They have offered over £500,000 for the house.
offer noun
⇨ offer 1 (an offer of help)
⇨ offer 2 (an offer of £2 500)
offer verb
⇨ offer 1 (offer good facilities)
⇨ offer 2 (offer to help)
Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged
Search result show the entry is found in:
on offer
of·ferI. \ˈȯfə(r), ˈäf-\
verb
(
offered ;
offered ;
offering \-f(ə)riŋ\ ;
offers)
Etymology: Middle English
offren, offeren, in sense 1, from Old English
offrian, from Late Latin
offerre, from Latin, to present, tender, proffer, offer, from
of- (from
ob- to, toward, against) +
ferre to carry; in other senses, from Old French
offrir, from Latin
offerre — more at
ob-
,
bear
transitive verb1.
a. : to present as an act of worship or devotion
: sacrifice
< to the Catholic church where she would offer a candle or so to his recovery — F.M.Ford >
b. : to utter (as a prayer) in devotion — often used with
up
< offered up prayers of thanksgiving >2.
a. : to present for acceptance or rejection
: hold out
tender
,
proffer
< offer a bribe >
< offer a bill to the legislature >
< offered his hand in marriage >
< was offered a job >
b. : to present in order to meet a requirement
< candidates for the degree may offer English as one of their foreign languages >3.
a. : to bring or put forward for action or consideration
: propose
,
suggest
< offer an opinion >
< offer a proposition >
< offered himself as a candidate for governor >
b. : to declare one's readiness or willingness — used with an infinitive object
< offered to help me >
< offered to join in the search >4.
a. : to try or begin to exert
< offered stubborn resistance >
< don't shoot unless they offer violence >
b. : undertake
,
attempt
— used with an infinitive object
< offered to strike him with his cane >
< offered to kiss her >
< a young bruiser … can hardly offer to beat up on an old man — W.L.Gresham >5. : to make available or accessible
: supply
,
afford
< summit offers a magnificent panorama >
< stream offering excellent fishing >
< the college offers courses in Russian >especially : to place (merchandise) on sale
< offers a range of cameras at reasonable prices >6. : to present in performance or exhibition
< offer a new comedy >7. : to propose as payment
bid
< offered me $10 for it >intransitive verb1. : to present something as an act of worship or devotion
: make an offering or sacrifice
: sacrifice
< in no other country … do people pray and offer as much as they do in Tibet — Heinrich Harrer >2. archaic : to make an attempt — used with
at3. : to come to hand
: present itself
< buying land whenever opportunity offered >4. : to make a proposal;
especially : to propose marriage
5. Britain : to be or to become available
< free choice to get work where work is offering — Sydney (Australia) Bulletin >
< corn that is offering is quite suitable — Farmer's Weekly (South Africa) >Synonyms:
offer
,
proffer
,
tender
,
present
, and
prefer
can mean, in common, to put something before another for acceptance.
offer
in itself usually implies no more than the common meaning
< offer a cigarette >
< offer a helping hand >
< offer a solution to a problem >
< offer to help out in a crisis >
< offer a good evening's entertainment >
proffer
, more literary than
offer
, adds, or throws stress on, the idea of voluntariness, spontaneity, or courtesy on the part of the doer or subject of the verb
< proffer one's hand to a lady >
< proffer hospitality to strangers in trouble >
< sympathy should be proffered to the bereaved — Alexander MacDonald >
tender
, a term with a legal currency implying an offering of something according to the terms of the law for approval or acceptance, in general use adds to
offer
the idea of the modesty, humility, or gentleness of the doer or subject of the verb
< tender your resignation >
< tender your services >
< tender your friendship >
present
can carry a strong suggestion of formalness or a ceremoniousness or outward show in the act of offering or can suggest the character of a gift in the thing offered
< present a prize to a winning team >
< presented the Davy-Faraday Laboratory to the Royal Institution — S.F.Mason >
< the analysis of experimental science presented in this foreword — J.B.Conant >
< words by which one scholar can present clearly to another the results of an investigation on this complex subject — E.S.McCartney >
prefer
in the sense of
proffer
or
present
is current only in legal use, though it is common in literary works up to the late nineteenth century
< the government of which the victim is a subject may justly prefer a claim — Encyc. Americana >
< has preferred some serious charges — Reginald Bretnor >
< I don't prefer any claim to being the soul of romance — Charles Dickens >II. noun
(
-s)
Etymology: Middle English
offre, from Middle French, from Old French, from
offrir1. : an act of offering: as
a. : a presenting for acceptance
: proffer
< refused all offers of assistance >
< considering job offers from several firms >
specifically : a proposal of marriage
< if she was still single it was not for lack of offers >
b. : an undertaking upon terms that embodies a promise given in consideration and in exchange for another's stipulated act or forbearance or designated reciprocal promise and that calls for acceptance or rejection by that other — compare
contract
2. obsolete : offering
3. : a price named by one proposing to buy
: bid
< had several good offers for his house >4.
a. : attempt
,
try
< made an offer to catch the ball >
b. : an action or movement indicating a purpose or intention of doing something
< halfhearted offer of resistance >
< made an offer of jumping out of the car >5. : a small knob on a deer's antler
: a rudimentary tine
•