donation
Americannoun
-
donations
plural
-
an act or instance of presenting something as a gift, grant, or contribution.
-
a gift, as to a fund; contribution.
- Synonyms:
- gratuity, benefaction, offering
noun
-
the act of giving, esp to a charity
-
a contribution
Synonym Usage
See present 2.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of donation
1375–1425, for an earlier sense; late Middle English < Latin dōnātiōn- (stem of dōnātiō ), equivalent to dōnāt ( us ), past participle of dōnāre to give ( dōn-, stem of dōnum gift, + -ātus -ate 1 ) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
A donation is a gift someone gives to a cause they believe in. If you have ever put a dollar into a collection plate or hat, you have made a donation. No one has to give a donation; donations are voluntary. In addition to disease research, many schools, arts groups, museums, churches, and groups that help the poor rely on donations. Donations usually take the form of money, but giving anything away to a cause could be considered a donation — like giving books to a library or bringing deviled eggs to a school potluck.
Vocabulary lists containing donation
An Explanation of Herd Immunity from "On Immunity" by Eula Biss
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This Week In Words: Current Events Vocab for January 9–15, 2021
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Boxing Day
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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:
Amarillo billionaire Alex Fairly, meanwhile, had maxed out to Paxton’s direct campaign account with a $7,000 donation in the spring; in late August, he gave $274,300 to Paxton’s joint fundraising committee.
From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026
"It costs you nothing, but we'll expect a donation," he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
Asking retail customers to make a charitable donation at checkout can be a great way to raise money for a cause.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
That includes the $6.25 billion donation from Michael and Susan Dell that will send $250 each to 250 million children 10 and younger who live in certain areas.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
“Sorry, I can’t afford it,” I say, “but would you like to make a donation to children who don’t have a place to sleep tonight?”
From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle
The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.
From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026
She claimed the donations, which were between £250 and £500 each time, would usually go towards charities that supported the blind or those with heart issues.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Burwood said she would either put the cash in charity pots while she was out and about, or hand donations directly to staff in local charity shops.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
They are similar to crowdfunding sites like GoFundMe, but the money is pooled from employers’ and sometimes co-workers’ donations.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
The reason I was talking about all this was because the idea of things “unzipping” carried over from Tommy’s elbow to become a running joke among us about the donations.
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
