donate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
donates,
present (3rd person singular)
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donated,
past participle, past
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donating
present participle
verb (used without object)
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donates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
donated,
past participle, past
-
donating
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
donatesimple
-
donatessimple
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have donatedperfect
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has donatedperfect
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am donatingprogressive
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are donatingprogressive
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is donatingprogressive
-
have been donatingperfect progressive
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has been donatingperfect progressive
Past
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donatedsimple
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had donatedperfect
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was donatingprogressive
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were donatingprogressive
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had been donatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of donate
1775–85, probably back formation from donation
Explanation
To donate means to give something — money, goods, or time — to some cause, such as a charity. The word has a more altruistic meaning than does simply "giving"; it suggests that you don't expect anything in return for the contribution. The verb donate has always meant "to give," all the way back to the Latin verb donāre, "to give as a gift." Trace it back even further, to the ancient Indo-European roots, and you still have that same feeling to the word — "a gift." But it's more than a gift — it's a gift with the intention of helping. As an African proverb says, "If everybody in town donates one thread, the poor man has a shirt."
Vocabulary lists containing donate
Giving Words
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Michelle Obama's Speech at the 2016 DNC
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for October 15–October 21, 2022
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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:
When Albano, a full-time content creator, posts her school supply hauls on social media, a deluge of messages come in from moms desperately asking Albano to donate items to their kids.
From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026
“Parents donate as much as they can afford, and we fundraise the rest. In 27 years of these trips, I have never left a kid behind.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
You could keep it if the tenant/landlord doesn’t have an answer or, if you feel generous, donate it to charity or — as an act of faith — leave it for the cleaner.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
Bex and Faye created the Tavistock Uniform Swap Shop in Devon where people could donate clothing their children had outgrown along with having a selection of new items as well.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
“You can donate something you already have, or if you want, you can make something new.”
From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson
Betting is strictly regulated and the main, state-owned operator Norsk Tipping donates 64% , externalof its proceeds to sporting purposes, with the main distribution going towards facilities in the country.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
The Simon family, through a charitable foundation, donates to many causes, including a $5 million gift to Columbia University.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
He has written poetry since high school, peppers social media with inspirational sayings and donates time and money to several charities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 5, 2026
A millionaire who donates $30,000 this year is able to cut $11,100 from their taxes, the Fidelity Charitable spokesperson said.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 1, 2025
Dr. Bigelow donates the plaster head of Phineas to go with it.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
He was also known for his deadpan humour, like at a news conference in 1999, when he was asked about allegations that China had donated to US President Bill Clinton's Democratic Party.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
“We’ve had so many supporters and people who have donated to help this out … and it’s been an incredible experience. Very, very fulfilling.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Gina said they had an "amazing" day and worked out they and their guests had collectively donated more than £1k to charities.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Hundreds of volunteers hurried through the packed parking lot next to Bogota's largest stadium, forming human chains to pass donated water bottles, food provisions, sanitary products and bedding to the sorting area.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
She rallies over a hundred volunteers, Rae and me included, to go around the city hand-delivering, you guessed it, hamburgers and donated blankets to the local homeless.
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
You could be donating clothes to a charity and they could say you’re only doing it for the applause.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Other protocols promoted by influencers without medical evidence have included certain supplements, red light therapy, and donating blood to "filter out" microplastics.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
The law also authorized a pilot program donating the $1,000 seed money to eligible children.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
Ahead of any wedding festivities, the couple announced they were donating $26 million to various charities across the United States including animal aid groups as well as organizations in Nashville, Tennessee, and Kansas City.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
He aided the Osage before they were flush with oil money, donating to charities and schools and a hospital.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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.
