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

Stephen Kaufman, a Bass campaign attorney, said Bakewell’s donations were not flagged because he was listed as retired on his contribution.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

Bass campaign spokesman Alex Stack said the mayor would not accept an $1,800 contribution sent to the campaign from Bakewell last month.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

They did, although they emphasized that the decision depends on more than contribution limits.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

But you have to file Form 709 to make that election, and the contribution generally uses up your annual gift-tax exclusion for that beneficiary during those five years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

But where could he best make a contribution to the subject?

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

Hoffman said that like most candidates, she raises money when running for office but those contributions don’t influence her votes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

While French investors took part in several of the company's funding rounds, the largest capital contributions came from Americans -- from New York private equity firm Lux Capital to professional basketball player Kevin Durant.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

Ireland's batters impressed in the opener by posting 281 but their lack of depth was exposed without contributions from the experienced duo of Gaby Lewis or Orla Prendergast here.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

There’s also annual nondiscrimination testing that can limit how much high earners are allowed to put into that bucket, and in some plans the contributions get refunded after year-end.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026

Despite his many contributions as a congressman, Garfield never accomplished his goals for the nation or himself.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow

Related Words

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