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• charity
  charity

  noun

  generous actions or donations to aid people who are poor, ill, or needy.
• Charity
  Charity

  noun

  a female given name.

charity

¹ American  

[char-i-tee] / ˈtʃær ɪ ti /

noun

• charities
  plural

1. generous actions or donations to aid people who are poor, ill, or needy.

   to devote one's life to charity.

2. something given to a person or persons in need; alms.

   She asked for work, not charity.

3. a charitable act or work.

4. a charitable fund, foundation, or institution.

   He left his estate to a charity.

5. benevolent feeling, especially toward those in need or in disfavor.

   She looked so hungry that we fed her out of charity.

   Synonyms:

   aid, philanthropy, altruism, almsgiving, quarter, mercy, indulgence, lenity, leniency, clemency, sympathy, pity, benignity, humanity, goodwill, compassion, kindness, kindliness, benevolence, donation, dole, contribution, beneficence, benefaction

   Antonyms:

   malevolence

6. leniency in judging others; forbearance.

   She was inclined to view our selfish behavior with charity.

7. Christian love; agape.

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Charity ² American  

[char-i-tee] / ˈtʃær ɪ ti /

noun

1. a female given name.

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charity British  

/ ˈtʃærɪtɪ /

noun

1. 1. the giving of help, money, food, etc, to those in need

   2. ( as modifier )

      a charity show

2. 1. an institution or organization set up to provide help, money, etc, to those in need

   2. ( as modifier )

      charity funds

3. the help, money, etc, given to the needy; alms

4. a kindly and lenient attitude towards people

5. love of one's fellow men

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• overcharity
  noun
• charityless
  adjective
• procharity
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• charities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of charity

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English charite, from Old French charite, cherite, from Latin cāritāt- (stem of cāritās “high price, costliness, dearness, affection, esteem”), equivalent to cār(us) “costly, dear” + -itāt- noun suffix; see cherish, Kama, caress; see also -ity

Explanation

Charity is the donation of something, like money, to a cause or person in need. Before offering charity to someone, make sure he is, in fact, needy, and not just some fashion fiend dressed like a homeless person! Charity comes in many forms including monetary donation, volunteering, or providing clothes and food for those less fortunate. The Greek poet Homer said, “The charity that is a trifle to us can be precious to others.” Think of charity, then, as something that may cost you a little, but can benefit someone else greatly. Charity also refers to a nice way to treat people, an organization that helps people, or a plant with blue and white flowers.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

charity Charity charities

Patient debt and the cost of charity care rose 16% in the first half of the year, versus the year-ago period, according to Vizient’s KaufmanHall unit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

According to Vizient’s KaufmanHall unit, hospital patient debt and charity care costs rose 16% in the first half of the year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

Sarah N'Guio received counselling from the charity a year after giving birth and said it saved her life, adding: "Without them, I probably would have lost my children and lost my life."

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

These related to the Kurdish charity in which Archer had been involved.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

Settling in the small town of Mirebalais, Farmer found work with a charity called Eye Care Haiti, headquartered in Port-au-Prince, which conducted mobile “outreach clinics” in the countryside.

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

Jane Fisher, chief executive of the ARC Charity, said it was a very difficult situation and that using the right term was really important.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

Charity leaders have said the changes were to reach more students, not to cut funding.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

The Charity Commission watchdog had banned Campbell in 2024 after identifying "multiple instances of misconduct" at her charity, Fashion for Relief.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

After the ruling, the Charity Commission said its disqualification of Campbell had been made on the "evidence available to us at the time".

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

She had already told him that the Battaglia matchmaker had advised a vacation for him in the psychiatric ward at Charity.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

With Treasury Department approval, charities controlled by wealthy people can target groups of at least 5,000, sorted by age, geography or both.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Under the rules that took effect last week, charities controlled by wealthy people—with Treasury Department approval—can put individual stocks into the accounts of thousands or millions of children.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

However, charities have raised concerns that domestic abuse survivors may still be put at risk, despite such provisions.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

It was dissolved and removed from the register of charities in 2024.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

It was only four words, but I played them over and over in my head and almost missed the whole segment on school-wide fundraisers for charities.

From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry

Related Words

• donation
• endowment
• fund
• philanthropy