donor

American  

[doh-ner] / ˈdoʊ nər /

noun

• donors
  plural

1. a person who gives or donates.

   Synonyms:

   patron, sponsor, contributor, supporter

2. Medicine/Medical. a person or animal providing blood, an organ, bone marrow cells, or other biological tissue for transfusion or transplantation.

3. Law. a person who gives property by gift, legacy, or devise, or who confers a power of appointment.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the biological tissue of a donor.

   donor organ.

donor British  

/ ˈdəʊnə /

noun

1. a person who makes a donation

2. med any person who voluntarily gives blood, skin, a kidney etc, for use in the treatment of another person

3. law

   1. a person who makes a gift of property

   2. a person who bestows upon another a power of appointment over property

4. the atom supplying both electrons in a coordinate bond

5. an impurity, such as antimony or arsenic, that is added to a semiconductor material in order to increase its n-type conductivity by contributing free electrons Compare acceptor

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donor Scientific  

/ dō′nər /

1. An atom or molecule that releases one or more electrons to another atom or molecule, resulting in a chemical bond or flow of electric current.

2. Compare acceptor See also electron carrier

3. An individual from whom blood, tissue, or an organ is taken for transfusion, implantation, or transplant.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• donorship
  noun
• predonor
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• donors
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of donor

1400–50; late Middle English donour < Anglo-French ( Old French doneur ) < Latin dōnātor, equivalent to dōnā ( re ) ( see donation) + -tor -tor

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Explanation

A donor is a person who donates something of value to a person or an organization, especially a charity. A wealthy donor might leave her book collection to the local library in her will. Buildings on college campuses are frequently named after generous donors — if you give millions of dollars to your school, they might name the new library after you, crediting you as a donor. Another kind of donor gives blood that can be used for transfusions, or agrees to donate organs after his or her death. Donor comes from the Latin root donare, "give as a gift."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

donor donors

New campaign finance filings revealed that much of the advertising flurry was funded by one highly motivated donor: Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest man.

From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026

The miscarriage rate—even with frozen or donor eggs—starts to climb as you get older.

From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026

It remained effective even when the immune characteristics of donor cells did not match those of the recipient.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

Fellow donor, Stephen Robotham, from Warwickshire, said: "Having a voice is so important and especially having your own voice, it's integral to your identity."

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

A year later Farmer published an essay about his work in Haiti, “The Anthropology Within,”in a Harvard Medical School publication, and the anonymous donor suddenly surfaced.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

That finding raises the possibility of developing off-the-shelf treatments using cells manufactured in advance from donors.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

The memo encouraged donors to cough up another $17 million over the next two weeks.

From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026

The defection of Jewish donors may concentrate a few minds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

The IOM urged "donors and partners to strengthen support for Djibouti's response, including search and rescue operations and life-saving assistance".

From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026

Just as there is no law requiring informed consent for storing tissues for research, there is no clear requirement for telling donors when their tissues might result in profits.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

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Related Words

• backer
• benefactor
• contributor
• patron

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