Meanings
verbpropose (third-person singular simple present proposes, present participle proposing, simple past and past participle proposed)
present singular third person proposes · participle present proposing · participle past proposed · past proposed
- transitiveTo suggest a plan, course of action, etc.
to propose an alliance
4 more examples
I propose going to see a film.
to propose a question for discussion
“The Budget proposes eliminating Supporting Effective Instruction (SEI) State Grants (Title II State grants), a program that provides formula funds to States to improve the quality and effectiveness of teachers, principals, and other schools leaders. SEI grants are poorly targeted and funds are spread too thinly to have a meaningful impact on student outcomes.
2017 May 23, Gregory Krieg and Will Mullery, “Trump’s budget by the numbers: What gets cut and why”, in CNNPresident Moon Jae-in proposed the plan this week during a meeting with government officials, his spokesman said.
2019, VOA Learning English (public domain) - intransitivesometimeswith toTo ask for a person's hand in marriage.
He proposed to her last night and she accepted him.
1 more example
After the death of his [Verney's] first wife, he proposed to Florence Nightingale but she refused him. Later he married her sister, and for many years Claydon was Miss Nightingale's second home.
1960 March 28, N. Caplan, “The Railway Member of Parliament”, in Railway Magazine, page 208 - transitiveTo intend.
He proposes to set up his own business.
2 more examples
I propose to relate, in several volumes, the history of the people of New England.
1859, John Gorham Palfrey, History of New England, Preface (Google preview)Many of the proposed dams would be among the tallest in the world.
2013 August 16, John Vidal, “Dams endanger ecology of Himalayas”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 10, page 8 - obsoleteTo talk; to converse.
HERO. Good Margaret, run thee to the parlour; There shalt thou find my cousin Beatrice Proposing with the prince and Claudio
1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i] - obsoleteTo set forth.
[…]so weighty was the cup, That being propos'd brimful of wine, one scarce could lift it up.
[1611?], Homer, “Book XI”, in Geo[rge] Chapman, transl., The Iliads of Homer Prince of Poets. […], London: […] Nathaniell Butter, →OCLC; republished as The Iliads of Homer, Prince of Poets, […], new edition, volume I, London: Charles Knight and Co., […], 1843, →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
More synonyms by meaning
verbput forward; nominate for appointment to an office or for an honor or position
Similar
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinprōpōnō, prōpōnere
- Middle Frenchproposer
- Anglo-Normanproposer
- Middle Englishproposen
- Englishpropose
From Middle English proposen, from Anglo-Norman proposer (verb), propos (noun), Middle French proposer (verb), propos (noun), from Latin prōpōnō, prōpōnere, with conjugation altered based on poser. Doublet of propound.
More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Middle French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic اِقْتَرَحَ, خَطَبَ
- اِقْتَرَحَ (iqtaraḥa)to suggest a plan or course of action
- خَطَبَ (ḵaṭaba)to ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
- طَلَبَ يَد (ṭalaba yad)to ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
Bulgarian предла́гам, правя пердложение
- предла́гам (predlágam)to suggest a plan or course of action
- правя пердложение (pravja perdloženie)to ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
- възнамерявам (văznamerjavam)to intend
Catalan proposar
- proposarto suggest a plan or course of action
Chinese Mandarin 提議 /提议, 求婚
- 提議 /提议 (tíyì)to suggest a plan or course of action
- 求婚 (qiúhūn)to ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
Czech navrhnout, požádat o ruku
- navrhnoutto suggest a plan or course of action
- požádat o rukuto ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
Danish foreslå, fri
- foreslåto suggest a plan or course of action
- frito ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
Dutch voorstellen, ten huwelijk vragen
- voorstellento suggest a plan or course of action
- ten huwelijk vragento ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
Esperanto proponi geedziĝon
- proponi geedziĝonto ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
Finnish ehdottaa, esittää
- ehdottaato suggest a plan or course of action
- esittääto suggest a plan or course of action
- ehdotellato suggest a plan or course of action
- kosiato ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
- aikoato intend
French proposer, demander en mariage
- proposerto suggest a plan or course of action
- demander en mariageto ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
German vorschlagen, einen Heiratsantrag machen
- vorschlagento suggest a plan or course of action
- einen Heiratsantrag machento ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
- beabsichtigento intend
Greek προτείνω, κάνω πρόταση γάμου
- προτείνω (proteíno)to suggest a plan or course of action
- κάνω πρόταση γάμου (káno prótasi gámou)to ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
- προτίθεμαι (protíthemai)to intend
Hungarian javasol, ajánl
- javasolto suggest a plan or course of action
- ajánlto suggest a plan or course of action
- indítványozto suggest a plan or course of action
- proponálto suggest a plan or course of action
- megkéri a kezétto ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
- tervezto intend
- szándékozikto intend
- szándékszikto intend
Indonesian melamar, meminang
- melamarto ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
- meminangto ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
Italian proporre, proporre il matrimonio
- proporreto suggest a plan or course of action
- proporre il matrimonioto ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
Japanese 申し込む, プロポーズする
- 申し込む (mōshikomu)to suggest a plan or course of action
- プロポーズする (puropōzu suru)to ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
- 結婚を申し込む (kekkon o mōshikomu)to ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
- 求婚する (kyūkon suru)to ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
Korean 제안(提案)하다, 구애하다
- 제안(提案)하다 (jean-hada)to suggest a plan or course of action
- 구애하다 (guae-hada)to ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
- 프러포즈하다 (peureopojeuhada)to ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
- 프러포즈를 하다 (peureopojeureul hada)to ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
- 의도하다 (uido-hada)to intend
Latin cēnseō, prōpōnō
- cēnseōto suggest a plan or course of action
- prōpōnōto suggest a plan or course of action
Lithuanian pasiūlyti, pasipiršti
- pasiūlytito suggest a plan or course of action
- pasipirštito ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
Māori marohi, mārohirohi
- marohito suggest a plan or course of action
- mārohirohito suggest a plan or course of action
- whakatūto suggest a plan or course of action
- taka maharato suggest a plan or course of action
- taka whakaaroto suggest a plan or course of action
- uakito suggest a plan or course of action
- whakaarito suggest a plan or course of action
Norwegian foreslå, fri
- foreslåto suggest a plan or course of action
- frito ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
Persian پیشنهاد کردن, خواستگاری
- پیشنهاد کردن (pêšnahâd kardan)to suggest a plan or course of action
- خواستگاری (xâstgâri)to ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
- خواستن (xâstan)to intend
Polish proponować, zaproponować
- proponowaćto suggest a plan or course of action
- zaproponowaćto suggest a plan or course of action
- oświadczać sięto ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
- oświadczyć sięto ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
- zamierzaćto intend
Portuguese propor, pedir a mão
- proporto suggest a plan or course of action
- pedir a mãoto ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
- pretenderto intend
Romanian propune, sugestiona
- propuneto suggest a plan or course of action
- sugestionato suggest a plan or course of action
- pețito ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
- a cere în căsătorieto ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
Russian предлага́ть, предложи́ть
- предлага́ть (predlagátʹ)to suggest a plan or course of action
- предложи́ть (predložítʹ)to suggest a plan or course of action
- де́лать предложе́ние (délatʹ predložénije)to ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
- сде́лать предложе́ние (sdélatʹ predložénije)to ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
- проси́ть руки́ (prosítʹ rukí)to ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
- попроси́ть руки́ (poprosítʹ rukí)to ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
Spanish proponer, pedir la mano
- proponerto suggest a plan or course of action
- pedir la manoto ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
- pedir / proponer matrimonioto ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
- proponerseto intend
Swedish föreslå, fria
- föreslåto suggest a plan or course of action
- friato ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
Thai เสนอ
- เสนอ (sà-nə̌ə)to suggest a plan or course of action
Turkish teklif etmek, evlenme teklif etmek
- teklif etmekto suggest a plan or course of action
- evlenme teklif etmekto ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
- niyet etmekto intend
Vietnamese đề nghị, đề xuất
- đề nghịto suggest a plan or course of action
- đề xuấtto suggest a plan or course of action
- gợi ýto suggest a plan or course of action
- cầu hônto ask for someone's hand in marriage — see also ask for someone's hand in marriage
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with propose
closegoesosrosefollowsclothesknowsJosedosnosechosehosediscloseposeimposefellowsopposeexposeprosebosecomposedisposeencloseslows
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
propose. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/propose
MLA
“propose.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/propose. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “propose,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/propose.
Source: propose on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.