Offer (verb): to present something — such as help, money, or an opportunity — for another person to accept or refuse.
Offer (noun): something presented for acceptance, such as a job offer, a price offer, or a special offer in a shop.
What Does Offer Mean?
Offer comes from Latin offerre — a combination of ob- (“towards”) and ferre (“to bring or carry”). The word entered Old English as offrian, originally meaning to present something to God as a sacrifice or tribute. Over centuries, the meaning broadened into the everyday sense of presenting anything — a salary, a seat, an apology — for someone else to accept.
As a verb, offer follows two main patterns: offer someone something (“She offered him a contract”) or offer to do something (“He offered to help”). As a noun, it almost always appears with a determiner: an offer, the offer, a job offer. Both the verb and the noun are high-frequency words that appear across all registers — from casual conversation to business writing.
British English uses the phrase on offer to mean available at a reduced price, equivalent to American English on sale. This is one of the most noticeable differences between the two varieties for ESL learners.
Example Sentences (A2–C1)
| Sentence | Level & note |
|---|---|
| Can I offer you a cup of tea? | A2 — polite offer, question form |
| They offered her a very competitive salary. | B1 — verb + indirect object + direct object |
| He offered to drive her to the station after the meeting. | B1 — offer + to-infinitive |
| The company withdrew its takeover offer after the board rejected it. | B2 — noun in business context |
| The settlement offered by the opposing counsel was deemed insufficient to compensate for the claimant’s losses. | C1 — passive construction, legal register |
Common Collocations
| Collocation | Example |
|---|---|
| make an offer | We made an offer on the house yesterday. |
| accept an offer | She accepted the offer without hesitation. |
| decline / reject an offer | He politely declined the offer of a promotion. |
| receive an offer | I received a job offer from two companies on the same day. |
| withdraw an offer | They withdrew the offer after negotiations broke down. |
| job offer | She turned down a job offer to stay with her current employer. |
| special offer | The supermarket has a special offer on pasta this week. |
| generous offer | Thank you for your generous offer of support. |
| on offer | Fresh strawberries are on offer at half price today. |
| open offer | The position remains an open offer until the end of the month. |
Usage Notes
Offer vs. give: When you give something, the transfer happens. When you offer something, you present it and wait for acceptance. “She gave him advice” means he received it. “She offered him advice” means she made it available — he may or may not have taken it.
Offer vs. propose: Offer is used for concrete things (a seat, a price, help). Propose is used for ideas or plans: “He proposed a new marketing strategy.” Use propose in formal or academic writing when discussing suggestions rather than tangible things.
Word forms: offer (base), offers (third person singular present), offered (past simple & past participle), offering (present participle). The noun offering also exists as a separate word meaning something presented as a gift or contribution.
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
She offered me to help with my report.
She offered to help me with my report. (offer + to-infinitive, not offer someone + to-infinitive)
They did a special offer on shoes.
They had a special offer on shoes. / There was a special offer on shoes. (use have or there is/was, not do)