proposition

1 of 2

noun

prop·​o·​si·​tion ˌprä-pə-ˈzi-shən How to pronounce proposition (audio)
1
a(1)
: something offered for consideration or acceptance : proposal
(2)
: a request for sexual intercourse
b
: the point to be discussed or maintained in argument usually stated in sentence form near the outset
c
: a theorem or problem to be demonstrated or performed
2
a
: an expression in language or signs of something that can be believed, doubted, or denied or is either true or false
b
: the objective meaning of a proposition
3
: something of an indicated kind to be dealt with
the farm was never a paying proposition
propositional
ˌprä-pə-ˈzish-nəl How to pronounce proposition (audio)
-ˈzi-shə-nᵊl
adjective

proposition

2 of 2

verb

propositioned; propositioning ˌprä-pə-ˈzi-sh(ə-)niŋ How to pronounce proposition (audio)

transitive verb

: to make a proposal to
especially : to suggest sexual intercourse to

Examples of proposition in a Sentence

Noun He made an attractive business proposition. The other company rejected their proposition. Her theory rejects the basic proposition that humans evolved from apes. If we accept proposition “A” as true, then we must accept proposition “B” as false. The election will be a tough proposition for the mayor. Verb He was propositioned by a prostitute. He got drunk and propositioned a woman sitting next to him in the bar.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Asking lawmakers to vote on an arena budget amendment or stand-alone bill is a riskier proposition, requiring support from a majority of legislators in both chambers to win passage. Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024 In San Francisco, where street homelessness has posed a particularly intractable problem, early returns showed more than two-thirds of voters supporting the proposition. Ethan Varian, The Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2024 Even in peaceful times, work at a nuclear-power plant is a high-stress proposition: Small mistakes can lead to disastrous results. Nataliya Gumenyuk, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2024 Polling for the ballot measure shows support for the measure wavering; the Public Policy Institute of California found that 68% of likely voters supported the proposition in December while in February that number dropped down to 59%. Andrew Sheeler, Sacramento Bee, 5 Mar. 2024 The Arizona Court of Appeals is expected to issue an opinion in the case this year, according to David Hameroff, past president of the Arizona Creditors Bar Association, which challenged the proposition. Stacey Barchenger, The Arizona Republic, 4 Mar. 2024 Skinny silhouettes were, in hindsight, a highly unlikely proposition for mass adoption: not just physically constrictive but also revealing to a degree that could verge on a violation of privacy. Jonah Weiner, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024 While not all lean firms have all four characteristics going for them, their longer-term strategies often involve building capabilities to harness these traits and sustain their value proposition in the long run. Columbia Business School - The Eugene Lang Entrepreneurship Center, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 And as concern over rising crime grows, a new initiative to roll back the proposition has emerged. Lyndsay Winkley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Feb. 2024
Verb
Women received lewd photos sent from male colleagues, were propositioned and followed back to their hotel rooms during travel for bank exams, with few consequences for their supervisors’ bad behavior. WSJ, 10 Jan. 2024 The suit alleges that a few days before the Diesel incident, Jonasson was propositioned by another supervisor at his company, One Race. Gene Maddaus, Variety, 21 Dec. 2023 A lot of your audience goes wild, specifically, for you—one woman propositioned you during your set, for instance. Jessie Heyman, Vogue, 15 Nov. 2023 At the end of the 1997-98 school year, another student’s mother complained directly to the then-principal of Cleveland High School about the teacher propositioning a female student. Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2023 But eight women told Bloomberg News that, over nearly two decades, Wright used his positions and influence to proposition female students, staffers and job applicants. Leah Nylen, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2023 In our second example of why these two are so good together, behold Sam propositioning his buddy about going on an another adventure. Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 8 Aug. 2023 Dern says to Cusack when propositioning him) and veracity an afterthought. Andy Kifer, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 July 2023 Donham, who was a 21-year-old shopkeeper in Money, Miss., at the time of Till's killing, accused the teen of propositioning her and lewdly grabbing her at her family's grocery store on Aug. 24, 1955. Tristan Balagtas, Peoplemag, 27 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'proposition.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

1922, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of proposition was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near proposition

Cite this Entry

“Proposition.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proposition. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

proposition

noun
prop·​o·​si·​tion
ˌpräp-ə-ˈzish-ən
1
: something offered to be thought about or accepted : proposal
a business proposition
2
: an expression (as in logic) to be proved or explained
3
: something of a certain kind which one must deal with
the mine will never be a paying proposition
fixing that roof will be a tough proposition

More from Merriam-Webster on proposition

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!