Proposal

/prəˈpoʊ.zəl/

nounmedium🔥Very CommonIdea
2 meanings3 questions

Definitions

2 meanings
1

A plan or suggestion put forward for consideration or discussion.

/prəˈpoʊ.zəl/

nounneutralmedium
Idea

A plan or suggestion, especially a formal one, put forward for consideration or discussion.

The company's proposal for a new advertising campaign was well-received.

💡 Simply: Think of a proposal like a really well-thought-out plan or idea that you're showing someone, hoping they'll agree with it. Like, if you have a great idea for a school project and share it with your teacher, that’s a proposal!

👶 For kids: A proposal is like a special plan or idea that someone wants to share with others.

More Examples

2

She wrote a proposal for a research project.

3

He is considering a proposal for a business partnership.

How It's Used

Business

"The company submitted a detailed proposal to the client."

Relationships

"He got down on one knee to make a marriage proposal."

Politics

"The government presented a new proposal for tax reform."

2

The act of asking someone to marry you.

/prəˈpoʊ.zəl/

nounpositivemedium
Action

The act of offering a marriage.

She was overwhelmed by his proposal.

💡 Simply: It's when you ask someone to marry you, usually with a ring and a lot of emotion. Like in movies where someone gets down on one knee!

👶 For kids: When someone asks another person to marry them!

More Examples

2

They celebrated after the proposal.

3

The proposal was a complete surprise.

How It's Used

Relationships

"He made a romantic proposal to her at sunset."

Tip:Remember the romantic movie scenes – a 'proposal' is the big question: 'Will you marry me?'

Synonyms & Antonyms

From Middle English proposail, from Old French proposail, from proposer (to propose), from Latin prōpōnere (to put forth, set before).

The word has been used in legal and formal contexts since the 16th century.

Memory tip

Imagine a formal meeting: a 'proposal' is the agenda's main course of action.

Word Origin

LanguageLatin
Original meaning

"to put forth"

business proposalmarriage proposaldetailed proposalformal proposalsubmit a proposal

Common misspellings

proposelpropossal

Usage

30%Spoken
70%Written