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to offer up

to offer up

28 6.3
To present a prayer, gift, or thanks as an act of religious worship
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈɔfər ʌp/
translation icon : ofrecer
  • Why don't you offer up your pain to God?
  • offer up prayers

But Bruning himself offers up a different explanation.

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Examples

  • And I offered up a little prayer.

  • You should offer up prayers and thanks.

  • With your leave, Dr. Rivers, I shall offer up one more prayer.

  • We offer up our humble thanks and ask that you bless this food to our use and us to thy service.

  • Jesus Maria offered up her body to God on the day of her first communion.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart.

  • The monks accordingly offer up the following prayer, derived from the text of Psalms 68:16-17: (n63)

    Academic text (2005)
  • During the ceremony, everyone was encouraged to offer up their prayers for the loved ones lost.

  • As part of their religious tradition, they offer up sacrifices to express their gratitude.

  • In quiet reflection, she began to offer up the wishes and hopes she held in her heart.

Synonyms

to give
vsto offer up
1.0

To perform for other people, for example a speech

is used mainly for devotional presentation of prayers or sacrifices
to offer
vsto offer up
  • Formal
384 2.5

Give something to show respect in a religious ceremony

is specifically presented as an act of worship or devotion

Antonyms

210 5.1

Refuse to give something someone wants or needs

How Devotional

to sacrifice
  • NSFW
133 5.3
to dedicate
284 3.7
to offer up
28 6.3
to offer
1.0

Surface Forms

offer up infinitive
offered up past
offered up past participle
offering up present participle
offers up third person singular

Morphology

offer + up

The core meaning 'to present or give' is directly carried by 'offer' and the particle 'up' adds a directional/completive nuance rather than creating an unrelated idiomatic sense. The phrase is a regular verb + particle construction and its meaning (presenting/giving, often in ritual context) is predictable from the constituents and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows 'offer' and 'up' would likely understand it.

Etymology

The verb offer up may come from the simple image of people lifting a gift or a prayer toward the sky or an altar, with offer meaning 'to give' and up showing the upward motion. That's why offer up now means 'to present' something as an act of worship or deep respect.