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• charity
  charity

  noun

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

  noun

  a female given name.

charity

¹ American  

[char-i-tee] / ˈtʃær ɪ ti /

noun

• charities
  plural

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.

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Charity ² American  

[char-i-tee] / ˈtʃær ɪ ti /

noun

1. a female given name.

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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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• overcharity
  noun
• charityless
  adjective
• procharity
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• charities
  plural

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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; see cherish, Kama, caress; see also -ity

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Explanation

Charity is the donation of something, like money, to a cause or person in need. Before offering charity to someone, make sure he is, in fact, needy, and not just some fashion fiend dressed like a homeless person! Charity comes in many forms including monetary donation, volunteering, or providing clothes and food for those less fortunate. The Greek poet Homer said, “The charity that is a trifle to us can be precious to others.” Think of charity, then, as something that may cost you a little, but can benefit someone else greatly. Charity also refers to a nice way to treat people, an organization that helps people, or a plant with blue and white flowers.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

charity Charity charities

The charity said 5,242 species were recorded across the estate's parkland, farmland, woodland and wetlands.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

Jackson said prolonged high fuel prices could create further challenges for the charity.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

Similar to Anthropic’s plan, the fund was set up as an LLC rather than a charity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

“You avoid the capital-gains tax you would owe if you sold it, you can generally deduct the full market value, and the charity or account receives the whole amount.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026

Some engaged primarily in planning parties and charity balls.

From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield

Charity director Lucinda Bray fears the loss of the in-person "safe place" could worsen the mental health of vulnerable women in the county.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

Charity Brain Tumour Research said the disease was the cancer most likely to kill patients under 40 in the UK.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

Charity leaders have said the changes were to reach more students, not to cut funding.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

After the ruling, the Charity Commission said its disqualification of Campbell had been made on the "evidence available to us at the time".

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

Charity scans the rows of cars one final time and sees an electrician’s van, with the electrician long gone.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

When a second spouse inherits everything, they can write a will and leave the entire estate to their own children, a subsequent spouse or even their favorite charities, cutting off the deceased spouse’s biological children.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026

Speaking of which, ample Silicon Valley experience counsels skepticism about Anthropic’s plan to use some of its new fund for existing charities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

Another reason, said councillors and charities we spoke to, was that it is not actually council money that Birmingham is signing off but central government funding.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

Duwai's vision for a plentiful marine habitat that would sustain his village of 147 people has now received global praise, with academics and charities seeking his insights.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

The chief says the country will go through some hard times and not have enough to eat as it stops accepting charities from foreign countries.

From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung

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Related Words

• donation
• endowment
• fund
• philanthropy

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