Library / English Dictionary

PROPOSE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Present for consideration, examination, criticism, etc.

Example:

The candidate projects himself as a moderate and a reformer

Synonyms:

project; propose

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Hypernyms (to "propose" is one way to...):

plan (make plans for something)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "propose"):

offer (put forward for consideration)

introduce (put before (a body))

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s to INFINITIVE
Somebody ----s VERB-ing

Derivation:

proposer ((parliamentary procedure) someone who makes a formal motion)

proposition (a proposal offered for acceptance or rejection)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Propose or intend

Example:

I aim to arrive at noon

Synonyms:

aim; propose; purport; purpose

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Hypernyms (to "propose" is one way to...):

intend; mean; think (have in mind as a purpose)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s to INFINITIVE

Sense 3

Meaning:

Make a proposal, declare a plan for something

Example:

the senator proposed to abolish the sales tax

Synonyms:

advise; propose; suggest

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "propose" is one way to...):

declare (state emphatically and authoritatively)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "propose"):

advocate; recommend; urge (push for something)

advance; throw out (bring forward for consideration or acceptance)

proposition (suggest sex to)

feed back (respond to a query or outcome)

posit; put forward; state; submit (put before)

make a motion; move (propose formally; in a debate or parliamentary meeting)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sentence examples:

They propose him to write the letter

They propose to move

Derivation:

proposal (the act of making a proposal)

proposer (someone who advances a suggestion or proposal)

proposition (the act of making a proposal)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Ask (someone) to marry you

Example:

The old bachelor finally declared himself to the young woman

Synonyms:

declare oneself; offer; pop the question; propose

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "propose" is one way to...):

request (ask (a person) to do something)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s to somebody

Derivation:

proposal (an offer of marriage)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Put forward; nominate for appointment to an office or for an honor or position

Example:

The President nominated her as head of the Civil Rights Commission

Synonyms:

nominate; propose

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "propose" is one way to...):

choose; pick out; select; take (pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "propose"):

nominate; put forward; put up (propose as a candidate for some honor)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s somebody something

Credits

 Context examples: 

Theories proposed to explain the nature of the dark material include this radiation as a likely part of the process that creates it.

(NASA Research Reveals Europa's Mystery Dark Material Could Be Sea Salt, NASA)

Elizabeth had nothing to propose of deeper efficacy.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

The soldier spent the whole day in doing it, and in the evening the witch proposed that he should stay one night more.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

The authors propose that beta-amyloid’s role in Alzheimer’s disease may result from dysregulation of normal immune system activity rather than abnormal processing of APP as previously believed.

(Alzheimer’s protein may have natural antibiotic role, NIH)

"Now, how did you know that I was going to propose?"

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

NASA's proposed WFIRST-AFTA (Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope - Astrophysics Focused Telescope Assets) mission would use the microlensing technique to find and characterize hundreds of thousands of planets in binary systems.

(Newfound Frozen World Orbits in Binary Star System, NASA)

I do not propose to appear in the matter at all.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Various theories have been proposed for the ring’s origin.

(Saturn is Losing Its Rings, NASA)

I then proposed to occupy myself till dinner-time in drawing some little sketches for her use.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

The researchers' proposed scenarios include uplift of the terrain and changes in sea level, or perhaps both.

(Cassini Finds Flooded Canyons on Titan, NASA)