donate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
donatesimple
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donatessimple
-
have donatedperfect
-
has donatedperfect
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am donatingprogressive
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are donatingprogressive
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is donatingprogressive
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have been donatingperfect progressive
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has been donatingperfect progressive
Past
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donatedsimple
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had donatedperfect
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was donatingprogressive
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were donatingprogressive
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had been donatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of donate
1775–85, probably back formation from donation
Explanation
To donate means to give something — money, goods, or time — to some cause, such as a charity. The word has a more altruistic meaning than does simply "giving"; it suggests that you don't expect anything in return for the contribution. The verb donate has always meant "to give," all the way back to the Latin verb donāre, "to give as a gift." Trace it back even further, to the ancient Indo-European roots, and you still have that same feeling to the word — "a gift." But it's more than a gift — it's a gift with the intention of helping. As an African proverb says, "If everybody in town donates one thread, the poor man has a shirt."
Vocabulary lists containing donate
Giving Words
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Michelle Obama's Speech at the 2016 DNC
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for October 15–October 21, 2022
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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.
See Examples For:
"When we donate, we believe the money is going for God's work," he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
June 2010: The Giving Pledge is launched, aimed at getting the world’s richest people to donate most of their wealth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
“I am beyond beyond grateful to everyone who rushed into help me,” she wrote in her caption,”get checked to donate, you are all hero’s!”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
The government's aim is to ensure only legitimate UK-linked businesses will be able to donate.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
The Hitler Youth even persuaded their friends and neighbors to donate skis and bicycles for the war effort.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
He has written poetry since high school, peppers social media with inspirational sayings and donates time and money to several charities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 5, 2026
That means it is run as a business but is focused on a social purpose and donates more than half its profits to good causes.
From BBC ● Feb. 28, 2026
A millionaire who donates $30,000 this year is able to cut $11,100 from their taxes, the Fidelity Charitable spokesperson said.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 1, 2025
A nearby Tesco store donates tea and coffee but the club does not receive any grants.
From BBC ● Nov. 17, 2025
“I read them in the hospital sometimes, when there’s nothing else. It’s so dumb. They think all kids read comics, so they have them in the ward. Somebody donates them.”
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
The researchers examined both the animal models and tissue donated by patients.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
Moroun has since donated $150,000 to House Speaker Mike Johnson’s joint fundraising PAC.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Qatar's royal family donated the luxury airliner last year after Trump complained about the state of the two aging jets that have served as the official US presidential planes since 1990.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
His family said that Pearce, a registered organ donor, donated six organs, helping seven people in urgent need of transplants.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
“It was donated by the Food King,” said Francis.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
Ahead of any wedding festivities, the couple announced they were donating $26 million to various charities across the United States including animal aid groups as well as organizations in Nashville, Tennessee, and Kansas City.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
Harry Styles, for example, is donating £1 from every ticket for his 12-night Wembley Stadium residency to the Music Venue Trust - raising more than £900,000.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
The Dodgers followed through on a pledge made a year ago, donating $1.1 million to two foundations supporting those impacted by immigration raids in the Southland.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
“Given that people in this study were donating in private, these types of experiments provide a conservative test of whether giving to other people can increase positive mood,” Whillans told the university.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 20, 2026
“Of course people are still donating food. That dull fellow must be taking the food to his own family,” Master said, as he started the car.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
