offer

of|fer¹ W1S1 [ˈɔfə US ˈo:fər, ˈa:-] v

[Date: 1200-1300; : Old French; Origin: offrir, from Latin offerre, from ferre 'to carry']

1.) [T]

to ask someone if they would like to have something, or to hold something out to them so that they can take it

offer sb sth

▪ Can I offer you something to drink?

▪ They offered him a very good job, but he turned it down.

offer sth to sb

▪ Maureen lit a cigarette and offered one to Lucy.

▪ The drama school offers places to students who can show talent.

2.) [I and T]

to say that you are willing to do something

▪ I don't need any help, but it was nice of you to offer.

offer to do sth

▪ My dad has offered to pick us up.

▪ The newspaper offered to apologise for the article.

3.) [T]

to provide something that people need or want

offer advice/help/support etc

▪ Your doctor should be able to offer advice on diet.

offer an opportunity/chance/possibility

▪ The course offers the opportunity to specialize in the final year.

▪ A number of groups offer their services free of charge.

▪ The Centre offers a wide range of sports facilities.

offer sth to sb

▪ I did what I could to offer comfort to the family.

4.) have sth to offer (sb)

to have qualities, opportunities etc that people are likely to want or enjoy

▪ Canada has much to offer in terms of location and climate.

▪ He felt he had nothing to offer her that she wanted.

5.) [T]

to say that you are willing to pay a particular amount of money for something

offer (sb) sth for sth

▪ They've offered us £75,000 for the house.

▪ The police are offering a reward for any information.

6.) offer (up) a prayer/sacrifice etc

to pray to God or give something to God

7.) offer itself

formal if an opportunity to do something offers itself, it becomes available to you

▪ I'll raise the subject when a suitable occasion offers itself.

8.) offer your hand (to sb)

to hold out your hand in order to shake hands with someone

offer ²

offer² W1S2 n

1.) a statement saying that you are willing to do something for someone or give them something

offer of help/support/friendship etc

▪ Thank you for your offer of help.

▪ The company withdrew their offer of employment.

▪ Have you had any job offers ?

accept/take up an offer

(=say yes to an offer)

▪ She accepted their offer of rent-free accommodation.

turn down/refuse/decline an offer

(=say no to an offer)

▪ I can't turn down the offer of a free trip to Milan!

offer to do sth

▪ His offer to resign will be accepted.

2.) an amount of money that you are willing to pay for something

▪ Will you accept their offer ?

make (sb) an offer (for/on sth)

(=offer a particular amount of money for something)

▪ Within 20 minutes they were prepared to make us an offer.

▪ The company made an offer of $5 million for the site.

a generous/good offer

▪ 'I'll be interested if Newcastle make me a good offer,' said the 25-year-old striker.

be open to offers

(=be ready to consider people's offers and lower your original price)

▪ We're asking £2500, but we're open to offers.

→↑o.n.o.

3.) a reduction of the price of something in a shop for a short time

→↑discount

▪ All special offers advertised in this brochure are subject to availability.

offer on

▪ There's a free offer on orders over £45.

▪ To take advantage of this offer (=buy something at the reduced price) , complete the attached forms.

4.) on offer

a) available to be bought, chosen, or used

▪ Activities on offer include sailing, rowing, and canoeing.

▪ I was impressed with the designs on offer.

b) BrE for sale for a short time at a cheaper price than usual

▪ Lean minced beef is on offer this week.

5.) under offer

BrE if a house that is for sale is under offer, someone has offered to buy it for a particular price