Charity

¹ American  

[char-i-tee] / ˈtʃær ɪ ti /

noun

1. a female given name.

---

charity ² American  

[char-i-tee] / ˈtʃær ɪ ti /

noun

plural

charities

1. generous actions or donations to aid people who are poor, ill, or needy.

   to devote one's life to charity.

2. something given to a person or persons in need; alms.

   She asked for work, not charity.

3. a charitable act or work.

4. a charitable fund, foundation, or institution.

   He left his estate to a charity.

5. benevolent feeling, especially toward those in need or in disfavor.

   She looked so hungry that we fed her out of charity.

   Synonyms:

   aid, philanthropy, altruism, almsgiving, quarter, mercy, indulgence, lenity, leniency, clemency, sympathy, pity, benignity, humanity, goodwill, compassion, kindness, kindliness, benevolence, donation, dole, contribution, beneficence, benefaction

   Antonyms:

   malevolence

6. leniency in judging others; forbearance.

   She was inclined to view our selfish behavior with charity.

7. Christian love; agape.

---

charity British  

/ ˈtʃærɪtɪ /

noun

1. 1. the giving of help, money, food, etc, to those in need

   2. ( as modifier )

      a charity show

2. 1. an institution or organization set up to provide help, money, etc, to those in need

   2. ( as modifier )

      charity funds

3. the help, money, etc, given to the needy; alms

4. a kindly and lenient attitude towards people

5. love of one's fellow men

---

Other Word Forms

• charityless adjective
• overcharity noun
• procharity adjective

Etymology

Origin of charity

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English charite, from Old French charite, cherite, from Latin cāritāt- (stem of cāritās “high price, costliness, dearness, affection, esteem”), equivalent to cār(us) “costly, dear” + -itāt- noun suffix; cherish, Kama, caress; -ity

Example Sentences

He also appeared in the celebrity-focused Fox competition series “The Masked Singer” and “The Real Full Monty,” the latter of which he did to raise money for cancer charities.

From Los Angeles Times

Local animal protection charity Patre, which led a fundraiser for a statue in his memory, said Bob "won the hearts of everyone who met him".

From BBC

Van Der Beek made a surprise virtual appearance at a Dawson's Creek reunion charity event on 22 September, having been forced to pull out of the live event due to having two stomach viruses.

From BBC

I know most of these names from dinner parties and charity events, but I don’t know any of them.

From Literature

The charity founded by Ferguson, Sarah’s Trust, is shutting down after the latest Epstein files revealed the depth of her friendship with Epstein.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• donation
• endowment
• fund
• philanthropy