contribution

American  

[kon-truh-byoo-shuhn] / ˌkɒn trəˈbju ʃən /

noun

contributions plural

1. the act of contributing.

2. something contributed.

   Synonyms:

   benefaction, donation, gift

3. an article, story, drawing, etc., furnished to a magazine or other publication.

4. an impost or levy.

5. Insurance. the method of distributing liability, in case of loss, among several insurers whose policies attach to the same risk.

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contribution British  

/ ˌkɒntrɪˈbjuːʃən /

noun

1. the act of contributing

2. something contributed, such as money or ideas

3. an article, story, etc, contributed to a newspaper or other publication

4. insurance a portion of the total liability incumbent on each of two or more companies for a risk with respect to which all of them have issued policies

5. archaic a levy, esp towards the cost of a war

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noncontribution
  noun
• overcontribution
  noun
• precontribution
  noun
• supercontribution
  noun
• contributional
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• contributions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of contribution

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English contribucio(u)n, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin contribūtiōn-, stem of contribūtiō “payment, distribution,” literally, “a bringing together,” equivalent to contribūt(us) “brought together” (past participle of contribuere; see contribute) + -iō -ion

Explanation

When you make a contribution, it means you're giving something away — whether it's your money, your possessions, or your time. A contribution can take many forms. Some contributions are measurable, like a $10 donation to the Salvation Army. Others are less tangible. When a student raises his hand in class to ask a question, he's making a contribution, because the answer to his question enriches the other students' learning experience.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

contribution contributions

With the Brockman’s contribution, the fundraising goal of $10 million is met and the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust can complete the transaction by the July 31 deadline.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

As the European contribution decreased, the US share of the funding rose.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

But even without the Alphabet contribution, that would amount to strong earnings growth for the index, and the second straight quarter with a growth rate above 20%.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 26, 2026

Because you already paid income tax on the contribution, you will only owe tax on the appreciation your investments had earned when you convert the money.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

Every time my limpid contribution was read, I wanted to sink behind my chair rather than face the condescending stares of the Mitchison women.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson

Through May 27, Ugarte had raised $510,000 in campaign contributions and Mazariegos had raised $254,000.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

Japan and Germany though have a mandatory long-term care insurance system which is funded through contributions from workers and employers.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

People 50 and older can save $8,000 more in “catch-up” contributions, for a total of $32,500.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

In a traditional pretax retirement account, savers don’t pay income tax on their contributions, and instead pay the tax when they withdraw the money in retirement.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

Even Newton, though, relied on his immediate predecessors, in particular Galileo Galilei and René Descartes, and in that sense his contributions followed naturally from what went before.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

Related Words

• addition
• donation
• grant
• improvement
• increase
• input