contributor

American  

[kuhn-trib-yuh-ter] / kənˈtrɪb jə tər /

noun

• contributors
  plural

1. a person who contributes money, assistance, etc.

2. a person who contributes an article, story, etc., to a newspaper, magazine, or the like.

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contributor British  

/ kənˈtrɪbjʊtə /

noun

1. a person who contributes, esp one who writes for a newspaper or one who makes a donation to a cause, etc

2. something that is a factor in or is partly responsible for something

   alcohol was a contributor to his death

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noncontributor
  noun
• contributorial
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• contributors
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

contributor contributors

Meanwhile France, the second-biggest European economy and a net contributor to the budget, argues the continent needs sufficient means to match the rising challenges the 27-country bloc faces.

From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026

Before Marc Lamont Hill was helping elevate the conversation on one of the country’s biggest podcasts, I watched him school Bill O’Reilly as a Fox contributor and Temple University professor.

From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026

The results suggest that hypertension remains widely undiagnosed, untreated, or inadequately managed, even though it is a major contributor to stroke, heart disease, and premature death.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026

The oil-and-gas sector represents about a fifth of the country’s exports, making it the largest contributor, according to Statistics Canada.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

The fire marshals and bomb squad pick through the burned-out section in the back that serves as an annex for the office, where we keep voting registration and contributor records.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

Smoke from forest fires, crop burning and cooking are significant contributors to Africa's air pollution while Saharan dust travels as far as Europe.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

We can all be net contributors, but you can’t solve homelessness by yourself.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026

"Our lifelong contributors, they would give us five pounds of food or £10 of food every time they go to shop in a supermarket," Cole said.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

“You do have individual contributors who got promoted to manager and have no idea how to actually manage, and are absolutely slowing things down and causing problems,” Butterworth says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Some suffragists and potential contributors found the publication’s name—the Revolution—off-putting.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

Related Words

• donor
• giver
• patron