volunteer

American  

[vol-uhn-teer] / ˌvɒl ənˈtɪər /

noun

• volunteers
  plural

1. a person who voluntarily offers to perform a service or other undertaking.

2. a person who performs a service willingly and without pay.

3. Military. a person who enters the service voluntarily rather than through conscription or draft, especially for special or temporary service rather than as a member of the regular or permanent army.

4. Law.

   1. a person whose actions are not founded on any legal obligation so to act.

   2. a person who steps into a matter that does not concern them, such as a person who pays the debt of another where they are neither legally nor morally bound to do so and has no interest to protect in making the payment.

5. Agriculture. Also volunteer plant a plant that springs up spontaneously, without being seeded, planted, or cultivated by a person.

   We didn't plant any watermelons this year, but look at all the volunteers from last year's crop.

6. Volunteer. a native or inhabitant of Tennessee (used as a nickname).

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or being a person who voluntarily offers to do something.

   a volunteer fireman.

2. Agriculture. growing without being seeded, planted, or cultivated by a person; springing up spontaneously.

   volunteer tomatoes.

verb (used without object)

• volunteers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• volunteered,
  past participle,  past
• volunteering
  present participle

1. to offer oneself for some service or undertaking.

2. to enter service or enlist voluntarily.

verb (used with object)

• volunteers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• volunteered,
  past participle,  past
• volunteering
  present participle

1. to offer (oneself or one's services) for some undertaking or purpose.

2. to give, bestow, or perform voluntarily.

   to volunteer a song.

3. to say, tell, or communicate voluntarily.

   to volunteer an explanation.

4. to promise the services of (someone) without having asked if it is something they actually can or want to do.

   He volunteered me to sand and paint the bottom of the boat, and I don’t have the slightest interest in sanding, painting, or boating.

volunteer British  

/ ˌvɒlənˈtɪə /

noun

1. 1. a person who performs or offers to perform voluntary service

   2. ( as modifier )

      a volunteer system

      volunteer advice

2. a person who freely undertakes military service, esp temporary or special service

3. law

   1. a person who does some act or enters into a transaction without being under any legal obligation to do so and without being promised any remuneration for his services

   2. property law a person to whom property is transferred without his giving any valuable consideration in return, as a legatee under a will

4. 1. a plant that grows from seed that has not been deliberately sown

   2. ( as modifier )

      a volunteer plant

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verb

1. to offer (oneself or one's services) for an undertaking by choice and without request or obligation

2. (tr) to perform, give, or communicate voluntarily

   to volunteer help

   to volunteer a speech

3. (intr) to enlist voluntarily for military service

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prevolunteer
  noun
• unvolunteering
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• volunteers
  plural

Participles

• volunteering
  present
• volunteered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• volunteer
  simple
• volunteers
  simple
• have volunteered
  perfect
• has volunteered
  perfect
• am volunteering
  progressive
• are volunteering
  progressive
• is volunteering
  progressive
• have been volunteering
  perfect progressive
• has been volunteering
  perfect progressive

Past

• volunteered
  simple
• had volunteered
  perfect
• was volunteering
  progressive
• were volunteering
  progressive
• had been volunteering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will volunteer
  simple
• will have volunteered
  perfect
• will be volunteering
  progressive
• will have been volunteering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of volunteer

First recorded in 1590–1600; from French volontaire, from Latin voluntārius voluntary, with -eer for French -aire

Explanation

To volunteer means to freely offer up your time and service to help. So a volunteer might offer to water a neighbor's plants while he's on vacation or sign up to serve dinner at a local homeless shelter. When it came into usage circa 1600, the noun volunteer referred to a person who offered himself up for military service. It wasn't until a few decades later that the word was first used in a non-military sense. And a little over a hundred years after that, volunteer expanded from functioning as just a noun to also playing the role of verb. A volunteer is someone who volunteers: willingly performs a task or offers a service.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

volunteer volunteers volunteered volunteering

I also volunteer most weekends at Furniture Assist, a local charity that helps provide home furnishings and clothing to people who are financially struggling.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 23, 2026

If anyone were going to volunteer for a mission to Mars, it would be a kicker.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

DEF CON Franklin matched volunteer white-hat hackers with small water utilities across the country, helping them patch holes and advising them on basic security hygiene.

From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026

But volunteer rescuers refused to give up, even though the chances of survival drops drastically after 72 hours.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

As I searched for a place to sit, I spotted another volunteer at the chevra kadisha.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

A study spanning about 1,000 locations across Switzerland would have been difficult to carry out without the participation of so many volunteers.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026

"Since we've started producing the harm reduction messages, there's a lot more trust and confidence from the young people who are happier to engage with our volunteers," he said.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

"All of us, including the volunteers and support teams are deeply anguished," the Hindu guru, whose real name is Jagdish Vasudev, added.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

Without the armies of aides, interns, and volunteers who answer phones in Capitol Hill offices, draft bills, and staff campaigns, lawmaking and reelection bids across the country would grind to a halt.

From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026

Each day a team of volunteers in Selma shuttled food and supplies to the campsites.

From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman

After retiring in 2022, Cannom volunteered at the John Wesley Clinic in downtown Los Angeles, helping the homeless and underserved communities who might not otherwise receive cardiac care.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026

Later on, Cohen volunteered to stage a presidential press conference and played “Reunited” by Peaches & Herb.

From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026

"I don't regret my choice. I went to defend my land," Anton insists and tells me his friends volunteered, too.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

Hsieh, who is 33 years old and identifies as gender-fluid, volunteered for service.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

But a year later, when Germany was in the throes of World War I, fourteen-year-old Dasch volunteered to work as a clerk in the German Army.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

You can do this by taking up some freelance work or volunteering.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

But I feel 65 mentally, since my writing, podcasting, volunteering and grandparenting keep me engaged and help me feel younger.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 23, 2026

Val Moreno looks like he’s enjoying every minute while volunteering to hold the down marker at Servite High home football games as part of the Friars’ chain crew.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

Many students balance classes and studying alongside part-time work, volunteering, sports clubs and societies.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

In addition to volunteering at the homeless shelter, he gets grades that land him on the honor roll every quarter.

From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper

Related Words

• come forward
• enlist
• sign up
• step forward
• suggest