Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To put forward for consideration, discussion, or adoption; suggest.
  • intransitive verb To recommend (a person) for a position, office, or membership; nominate.
  • intransitive verb To offer (a toast to be drunk).
  • intransitive verb To make known as one's intention; purpose or intend.
  • intransitive verb To form or make a proposal, especially of marriage.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Talk; discourse.
  • In systematic biol., to use (a new name) without complying with the technical requirements of publication. See publication, 5.
  • In solo whist, to offer to take eight tricks with the assistance of a partner.
  • To put forward or offer for consideration, discussion, acceptance, admission, or adoption: as, to propose a bill or resolution to a legislative body; to propose a question or subject for discussion; to propose one as a member of a club.
  • To place before as something to be done, attained, or striven after; form or declare as an intention or design.
  • To set or place forth; place out; state.
  • To place one's self before; face; confront.
  • To speak; utter; discourse.
  • Synonyms To propound, present, suggest, recommend, move, enounce.
  • To intend, mean, design.
  • To form or declare an intention or design.
  • To offer; specifically, to make an offer of marriage.
  • To converse; discourse.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb obsolete To speak; to converse.
  • intransitive verb To form or declare a purpose or intention; to lay a scheme; to design.
  • intransitive verb To offer one's self in marriage.
  • transitive verb obsolete To set forth.
  • transitive verb To offer for consideration, discussion, acceptance, or adoption
  • transitive verb To set before one's self or others as a purpose formed; hence, to purpose; to intend.
  • transitive verb to intend; to design.
  • noun obsolete Talk; discourse.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To suggest a plan or course of action.
  • verb intransitive To ask for a person's hand in marriage.
  • verb transitive To intend.
  • verb obsolete To talk.
  • noun obsolete An objective or aim.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb propose or intend
  • verb present for consideration, examination, criticism, etc.
  • verb ask (someone) to marry you
  • verb put forward; nominate for appointment to an office or for an honor or position
  • verb make a proposal, declare a plan for something

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English proposen, from Old French proposer, alteration (influenced by poser, to put, place) of Latin prōpōnere : prō-, forth; see pro– + pōnere, to put; see apo- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Anglo-Norman proposer (verb), propos (noun), Middle French proposer (verb), propos (noun), from pro- + poser.

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Examples

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  • The governor is going to propose new taxes.

    April 14, 2007