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marriage offer

marriage offer

1 3.0
To ask someone to become your husband or wife
  • noun
  • /ˈmɛrɪdʒ ˈɔfər/
translation icon : oferta de matrimonio
  • So much importance that if young Hitaki told you he was withdrawing his marriage offer...

Examples

  • Receiving a marriage offer from someone you love can be one of the most exciting moments in a relationship.

  • So while you and those who share your outlook on marriage and procreation may feel that same-sex parents are a problem and should not be allowed to get married or raise children, or some other mind-numbing dross like that, the reality is that there are plenty of positive same-sex role model parents who could actually benefit from the increased stability that marriage offers, but which you wish to deny them.

    Blog text (30)
  • It seems this marriage offer was an excuse to make a deal of some sort.

  • Thank you ever so much for all the marriage offers and personal compliments!

    Blog text (10)
  • Although schooling and career decisions are often made before getting married, these decisions are likely to affect the future chances of receiving a marriage offer, the type of offer, and the probability of getting divorced.

    Blog text (18)
  • In his calculated speech to Fanny, Sir Thomas claims that Fanny does not owe him "duty" but rather "gratitude" (368), which, in his view, she lacks because she will not do as he demands and accept Henry's marriage offer.

    Academic text (2018)
  • After a romantic dinner, he finally presented his marriage offer to her, asking if she would spend the rest of her life with him.

  • She accepted his marriage offer with tears of joy, feeling that their love was finally recognized.

Synonyms

proposal
vsmarriage offer
44 2.9

Asking someone to marry you

is the same but used more formally
question
vsmarriage offer
  • Archaic
40 7.8

A request to marry someone

is used more neutrally rather than as a casual phrase
marriage proposal
vsmarriage offer
13 2.2

To ask someone to become your husband or wife

is a general request without formal emphasis
proposal of marriage
vsmarriage offer
2 2.5

To ask someone to marry you

is the broader idea covering any act with that intention

Surface Forms

Morphology

marriage + offer

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from the constituents: 'marriage' (a legally recognized partnership) combined with 'offer' (a formal proposal) yields a proposal to enter into marriage. This compositional noun + noun phrase follows a common cross-linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the intended meaning.

Etymology

The noun marriage offer comes from the image of a person offering a ring or their hand and asking 'to marry'. So a marriage offer means a clear, formal request 'to marry' someone.