Bidders

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals seeking to purchase items or services by presenting proposed prices in a competitive environment
2. Groups or persons making financial proposals in contexts such as auctions or negotiations for goods or services
3. Persons who submit offers to purchase goods or services, usually by stating the amount they are willing to pay

Etymology: "Bidders" is the plural of "bidder," a noun for someone making offers, especially at an auction or in a contract tender. The base word, "bid," is ancient in English, and "bidder" is simply that word with the agent suffix "-er" attached, a pattern as old as the language itself. The noun came into Middle English as "bidder" or "biddere," and it has close relatives in German, where "Bitter" means one who asks or requests, and in Saterland Frisian, a small surviving language of northwest Germany, where the word is "Bidder." The plural simply adds "-s" to the singular, so "bidders" refers to two or more people placing offers, such as the crowd at a sale or the firms competing for a government contract.

Synonyms: offerors, proposers