contribution

[kon-truh-byoo-shuhn]

noun

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.

contribution

/ 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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of contribution¹

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; contribute ) + -iō -ion

Example Sentences

James is trying to make his contributions, both big and small, regular occurrences for the shorthanded Lakers as they continue to dig into their bench.

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Amid the fresh scholarship of recent years—the microanalysis of quill strokes, the algorithmic scrutiny of syntax—Mr. Swift’s contribution, and it’s a valuable one, is to tell the story of a building.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Mr. Woodard’s book is a brilliant contribution to this denigration effort.

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The Italian bank’s third-quarter update was its first set of results since buying peer Mediobanca, whose balance sheet it already consolidated though the contribution to its accounts will be recorded from the fourth quarter onward.

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The miss was driven by lower-than-expected contributions from U.S. gas pipelines, Mexico gas pipelines, and the power and energy segment, they say.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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