contribution
Americannoun
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the act of contributing.
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something contributed.
- Synonyms:
- benefaction, donation, gift
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an article, story, drawing, etc., furnished to a magazine or other publication.
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an impost or levy.
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Insurance. the method of distributing liability, in case of loss, among several insurers whose policies attach to the same risk.
noun
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the act of contributing
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something contributed, such as money or ideas
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an article, story, etc, contributed to a newspaper or other publication
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insurance a portion of the total liability incumbent on each of two or more companies for a risk with respect to which all of them have issued policies
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archaic a levy, esp towards the cost of a war
Other Word Forms
- contributional adjective
- noncontribution noun
- overcontribution noun
- precontribution noun
- supercontribution noun
Etymology
Origin of contribution
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English contribucio(u)n, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin contribūtiōn-, stem of contribūtiō “payment, distribution,” literally, “a bringing together,” equivalent to contribūt(us) “brought together” (past participle of contribuere; contribute ) + -iō -ion
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
France agreed to make an unspecified "substantial and continuing" contribution.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
And in New Jersey, you can’t deduct your HSA contribution from your income, among other rules.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026
Another day this month, Lurie disclosed a contribution from Google and one from a descendant of a local 20th-century dehydrated-potato-product fortune.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
Typically, sales of the gas are restricted during the summer due to the volatility of ethanol and its contribution to smog, but the Farm Bureau maintains that new studies show the blend is non-polluting.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2026
Investment bankers and speculators, as they saw it, made no productive contribution to society.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
