donation
Americannoun
-
an act or instance of presenting something as a gift, grant, or contribution.
-
a gift, as to a fund; contribution.
- Synonyms:
- gratuity, benefaction, offering
noun
-
the act of giving, esp to a charity
-
a contribution
Synonym Usage
See present 2.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of donation
1375–1425, for an earlier sense; late Middle English < Latin dōnātiōn- (stem of dōnātiō ), equivalent to dōnāt ( us ), past participle of dōnāre to give ( dōn-, stem of dōnum gift, + -ātus -ate 1 ) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
A donation is a gift someone gives to a cause they believe in. If you have ever put a dollar into a collection plate or hat, you have made a donation. No one has to give a donation; donations are voluntary. In addition to disease research, many schools, arts groups, museums, churches, and groups that help the poor rely on donations. Donations usually take the form of money, but giving anything away to a cause could be considered a donation — like giving books to a library or bringing deviled eggs to a school potluck.
Vocabulary lists containing donation
An Explanation of Herd Immunity from "On Immunity" by Eula Biss
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This Week In Words: Current Events Vocab for January 9–15, 2021
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Boxing Day
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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.
Farage is facing a probe by Parliament’s standards commissioner into the donation he received from Thailand-based British businessman Christopher Harborne.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 9, 2026
Farage's decision to step down means the investigation by Daniel Greenberg, the parliamentary commissioner for standards, into the Harborne donation is suspended.
From Barron's • Jul. 8, 2026
He went on to register a £15,276 donation from Cottrell for a US domestic flight in December 2024.
From BBC • Jul. 6, 2026
Dell and his wife, Susan, announced a donation in December of $6.25 billion that will put $250 into 25 million accounts for children ages 10 and under.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 6, 2026
Every time we get to a new town we cruise into whatever shopping center there is and ask random people to make a small donation to help our hoop squad.
From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña
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.
