donor

American  

[doh-ner] / ˈdoʊ nər /

noun

1. a person who gives or donates.

   Synonyms:

   patron, sponsor, contributor, supporter

2. Medicine/Medical. a person or animal providing blood, an organ, bone marrow cells, or other biological tissue for transfusion or transplantation.

3. Law. a person who gives property by gift, legacy, or devise, or who confers a power of appointment.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the biological tissue of a donor.

   donor organ.

donor British  

/ ˈdəʊnə /

noun

1. a person who makes a donation

2. med any person who voluntarily gives blood, skin, a kidney etc, for use in the treatment of another person

3. law

   1. a person who makes a gift of property

   2. a person who bestows upon another a power of appointment over property

4. the atom supplying both electrons in a coordinate bond

5. an impurity, such as antimony or arsenic, that is added to a semiconductor material in order to increase its n-type conductivity by contributing free electrons Compare acceptor

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donor Scientific  

/ dō′nər /

1. An atom or molecule that releases one or more electrons to another atom or molecule, resulting in a chemical bond or flow of electric current.

2. Compare acceptor See also electron carrier

3. An individual from whom blood, tissue, or an organ is taken for transfusion, implantation, or transplant.

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Other Word Forms

• donorship noun
• predonor noun

Etymology

Origin of donor

1400–50; late Middle English donour < Anglo-French ( Old French doneur ) < Latin dōnātor, equivalent to dōnā ( re ) ( see donation) + -tor -tor

Explanation

A donor is a person who donates something of value to a person or an organization, especially a charity. A wealthy donor might leave her book collection to the local library in her will. Buildings on college campuses are frequently named after generous donors — if you give millions of dollars to your school, they might name the new library after you, crediting you as a donor. Another kind of donor gives blood that can be used for transfusions, or agrees to donate organs after his or her death. Donor comes from the Latin root donare, "give as a gift."

Example Sentences

The Internal Revenue Service allows the donor to write off a donation to a charitable organization — in this case, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 11, 2026

The first is the dread of contemporaneous discovery, which is no problem if a donor arranges for his or her diary to be sealed until the people in it are dead.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

Billionaire Meg Whitman, the former eBay chief and formerly a longtime Republican donor, spent $144 million of her money on her 2010 gubernatorial bid.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

Above all, the current crisis could hit the costs of humanitarian aid and divert donor funds towards other priorities.

From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026

Currently on waiting list for donor and kidney transplant.

From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña

Related Words

• backer
• benefactor
• contributor
• patron