proposition

[ prop-uh-zish-uhn ]
See synonyms for proposition on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act of offering or suggesting something to be considered, accepted, adopted, or done.

  2. a plan or scheme proposed.

  1. an offer of terms for a transaction, as in business.

  2. a thing, matter, or person considered as something to be dealt with or encountered: Keeping diplomatic channels open is a serious proposition.

  3. anything stated or affirmed for discussion or illustration.

  4. Rhetoric. a statement of the subject of an argument or a discourse, or of the course of action or essential idea to be advocated.

  5. Logic. a statement in which something is affirmed or denied, so that it can therefore be significantly characterized as either true or false.

  6. Mathematics. a formal statement of either a truth to be demonstrated or an operation to be performed; a theorem or a problem.

  7. a proposal of usually illicit sexual relations.

verb (used with object)
  1. to propose sexual relations to.

  2. to propose a plan, deal, etc., to.

Origin of proposition

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English proposicio(u)n, from Latin prōpositiōn- (stem of prōpositiō) “a setting forth.” See propositus, -ion

synonym study For proposition

2. See proposal.

Other words from proposition

  • prop·o·si·tion·al, adjective
  • prop·o·si·tion·al·ly, adverb
  • un·der·prop·o·si·tion, noun

Words that may be confused with proposition

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for proposition

proposition

/ (ˌprɒpəˈzɪʃən) /


noun
  1. a proposal or topic presented for consideration

  2. philosophy

    • the content of a sentence that affirms or denies something and is capable of being true or false

    • the meaning of such a sentence: I am warm always expresses the same proposition whoever the speaker is: Compare statement (def. 8)

  1. maths a statement or theorem, usually containing its proof

  2. informal a person or matter to be dealt with: he's a difficult proposition

  3. an invitation to engage in sexual intercourse

verb
  1. (tr) to propose a plan, deal, etc, to, esp to engage in sexual intercourse

Origin of proposition

1
C14 proposicioun, from Latin prōpositiō a setting forth; see propose

Derived forms of proposition

  • propositional, adjective
  • propositionally, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012