contributor
Americannoun
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a person who contributes money, assistance, etc.
-
a person who contributes an article, story, etc., to a newspaper, magazine, or the like.
noun
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a person who contributes, esp one who writes for a newspaper or one who makes a donation to a cause, etc
-
something that is a factor in or is partly responsible for something
alcohol was a contributor to his death
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of contributor
1400–50; late Middle English contributour < Anglo-French. See contribute, -tor
Explanation
A contributor is someone who takes part in something or makes a contribution. Writers and people who donate money in particular are called contributors. Writers whose work is included in a book, magazine, or newspaper are called contributors. Some have specific titles like "contributing editor" or "contributing writer." If you give money for a cause or a company, that contribution also makes you a contributor. This word is used mainly for writing and donating, but it can be used in other cases for people who help with something. The surest way not to be called a contributor is to do nothing: contributors have to contribute.
Vocabulary lists containing contributor
"The Taming of the Shrew" by William Shakespeare, Act I
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"CLEP Principles of Management," Vocabulary from Chapter 3
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"The American Pageant," Vocabulary from Chapters 40-42
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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.
See Examples For:
Investment in data centres was the largest contributor to the country's economic growth in the three months to March, although most of the equipment was imported, according to government figures.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
Figures from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, external show that while agriculture remains the largest overall source of water pollution in Northern Ireland, NI Water is also a significant contributor to pollution incidents.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
On X, Washington Post columnist and Fox News contributor Marc Thiessen argued that “it’s not a conspiracy theory to suggest something else might be at play.”
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
Second, the AI capex cycle — the largest contributor to U.S.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Don’t you want to be a contributor to our economy?
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
The sheer reach of the Cyclospora parasite indicates other contributors at play, and despite expert recommendations to the contrary, it’s already fomenting a mild panic over produce.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026
Cadiz and Brackpool were leading campaign contributors to former Gov. Gray Davis, who was thought to be the source of pressure on the Metropolitan Water District to make a deal with Cadiz.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
“Micron and Nvidia are expected to be the largest contributors to second-quarter net income growth, accounting for 21.1% and 19.6%, respectively. Together, they’ll drive more than 40% of total growth,” he says.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026
The country is one of the largest contributors of sailors to merchant shipping, sending out hundreds of thousands of seafarers to work worldwide.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
We are not complacent about the average age of our contributors and are keen to publish promising young writers.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
Definitions 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.
