donate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
donates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
donated,
past participle, past
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donating
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
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
-
have donatedperfect
-
has donatedperfect
-
am donatingprogressive
-
are donatingprogressive
-
is donatingprogressive
-
have been donatingperfect progressive
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has been donatingperfect progressive
Past
-
donatedsimple
-
had donatedperfect
-
was donatingprogressive
-
were donatingprogressive
-
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:
He doesn’t own it yet; he’s currently under contract to buy the property and will donate it to a public agency once the sale closes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
“Once we were made aware that these individuals were unable to donate, their contributions were refunded. We take these matters seriously and expect others to do the same.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
I spot a poster as I leave, which says: "Fund 60 more," and asks people to donate money, to keep Carnival going.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
Good Good’s executives said that they planned to donate sales of the driver to a local women’s organization, and that they had implemented more rigorous protocols to prevent such missteps from happening again.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
The ones who donate money to the school.
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
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
That means it is run as a business but is focused on a social purpose and donates more than half its profits to good causes.
From BBC ● Feb. 28, 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
A nearby Tesco store donates tea and coffee but the club does not receive any grants.
From BBC ● Nov. 17, 2025
She neatly lines up little bags of beans, sugar, and laundry soap—items a local grocery store donates because the packages are damaged and cannot be sold.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
Speaking to journalists in the Oval Office, Trump confirmed that he would be taking the jet donated by Qatar's royal family on a trip to Ireland next week despite the security concerns.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
Her Majesty had donated a box of books to Spellow Library in Liverpool after it was burned down in widespread unrest in the summer of 2024 following the Southport attack in which three children died.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
To create the atlas, the team analyzed donated human tissue along with brain organoids grown from stem cells.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026
She had told me that she wanted her estate donated instead.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
T. Arnold Hill led the Urban League’s efforts to help, conducting a food survey and setting up a food station to distribute donated groceries.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
Getting rid of stuff is something we do nearly every week, through donating, trashing and shredding.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 23, 2026
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
A clothing charity has helped save thousands of brand new coats, fleeces and other garments from going to landfill by removing company branding and donating them to people in need.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
When the Toreros needed cold-weather clothing for a game at Dayton, Harbaugh cajoled the Chargers, where he spent part of his playing career, into donating some of their mothballed gear.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
We started donating a portion of every harvest to Miriam’s Kitchen, a local nonprofit that served the homeless.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
