voluntarily
Americanadverb
-
of one’s own accord or by free choice.
Students were mostly attending the sessions voluntarily, so they were reasonably well-behaved.
-
by volunteers, or in a way that depends on voluntary action.
The Political Science Club is a politically neutral and voluntarily operated nonprofit organization.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of voluntarily
Explanation
Use the adverb voluntarily to describe something you do willingly. For example, you might voluntarily stay home and babysit your little brother if the alternative is a trip to the grocery store. People do things voluntarily when they are completely willing to do them, not forced or enticed by anyone else. Kids tend to eat candy voluntarily, ride their bikes with their friends voluntarily, and watch their favorite shows on TV voluntarily. It's easy to see the connection with the verb to volunteer, and both words are rooted in the Latin root voluntarius, "of one's free will."
Vocabulary lists containing voluntarily
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Chapter 8: Greek Civilization
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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.
Suhail’s attorney, Adam Sheppard, said civil matters in Dubai affected Suhail’s ability to travel after the indictment and he returned voluntarily when they were resolved.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Eswatini, which welcomed 32 deportees from the US, says three people - from Yemen, Belize and Laos - "voluntarily departed" to their home countries recently.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Guinea-Bissau's junta leader General Horta N'Tam urged members of the presidential guard loyal to exiled former president Umaro Sissoco Embalo to voluntarily lay down their weapons on Wednesday.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Polymarket partners with IC360, an integrity monitoring group that tracks problematic trading behavior and offers self-exclusion tools that allow users to voluntarily restrict or withdraw their accounts.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
She suggested we leave voluntarily so we wouldn’t have a deportation on our records.
From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon
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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.
