# offer one can't refuse

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/offer-one-cant-refuse
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

An offer from one side in a transaction with terms so attractive that the other side is almost guaranteed to accept.

## Examples

- The company gave me an offer I can't refuse.
- He makes me an offer I can't refuse for my old car.
- She gives him an offer he can't refuse to finish the project early.
- With a massive salary increase and flexible hours, the job offer was truly one I couldn't refuse.
- The landlord promised to renovate the entire kitchen and lower the rent, making it an offer I can't refuse.
- If they include free flights and a luxury hotel for the whole week, it becomes an offer you can't refuse.
- The store is giving away a second television for free today, which is definitely an offer we can't refuse.
- The developers presented a buyout package so lucrative that the smaller firm found it to be an offer they simply could not refuse.

## Origin

The origin of the phrase remains unknown. It gained significant public recognition following its appearance in the 1972 film The Godfather, in which the expression is associated with the persuasive methods of a criminal patriarch.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.