Proposition or proposal?

Question

Andrei from Russia asked: Which is best to use when talking about a business offer, proposition or proposal?

Answer

In the context of business, proposition and proposal are similar in meaning, as you can see in the two definitions below from the Learner's Dictionary. However, there is a subtle difference: Proposition is a better choice when talking about an offer, one that will be either accepted or rejected. Proposal is a better choice when talking about a well-developed plan, most likely written.

• proposition: something, such as a plan or offer, that is presented to a person or group of people to consider

• proposal: something, such as a plan or suggestion, that is presented to a person or group of people to consider

Here are some example sentences with these two words:

1. He made an attractive business proposition.
2. The other company rejected their proposition.
3. The committee is reviewing the proposal for a new restaurant.
4. They put forth a proposal to sell the company.

One more thing: Both of these words have several possible meanings, and some of them are quite different. For example, proposal is used to talk about the act of asking someone to marry you, and proposition is used to talk about changes in the law that are brought to the public to vote on.

I hope this helps.