Offer
verbTo present something for acceptance, refusal, or consideration.
How to spell offer
5 letters · 2 syllables
How to pronounce offer
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does offer mean?
- verbTo present something for acceptance, refusal, or consideration.
- nounA proposal or expression of willingness to do or give something.
Offer in a sentence
-
verb
The bank agreed to offer him a lower interest rate.
-
noun
After a week of negotiation, they accepted our offer on the house.
-
verb
Local charities offer free advice to anyone struggling with debt.
-
noun
The supermarket has a special offer on coffee this weekend.
Where does offer come from?
Language of origin: Latin
This word traces back to the Latin offerre, meaning 'to present' or 'to bring before', formed from ob- 'towards' and ferre 'to carry or bring'. In Christian Latin it took on the special sense of presenting a gift or sacrifice at an altar, which is why 'offer' and the related 'offering' still carry that religious flavour. The word entered Old English very early as offrian, used mainly in this sense of making a sacrifice, and the meaning broadened after the Norman period under the influence of Old French offrir to cover presenting anything for acceptance. The ferre root is remarkably productive in English, surviving in 'transfer' (carry across), 'refer' (carry back) and 'prefer' (carry before). The single 'f' followed by the double 'f' that some learners expect from words like 'differ' is the chief spelling point, though here the doubled 'ff' is correct.
How the word is built
- of- (from Latin ob-: towards)
- -fer (from ferre: to carry, to bring)
Fix your spelling for good.
Spelling Garden finds the words you personally get wrong, plants them in a garden, and brings each one back just before you would have forgotten it.
Just five minutes a day is all it takes to fix your spelling.