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Synonyms

contribute

American

[kuhn-trib-yoot] / kənˈtrɪb jut /

verb (used with object)

to give (money, time, knowledge, assistance, etc.) to a common supply, fund, etc., as for charitable purposes.

Synonyms:

donate, furnish, provide
to furnish (an original written work, drawing, etc.) for publication.

to contribute stories to a magazine.

verb (used without object)

to give to a common supply, fund, etc..

He contributes to many charities.
to furnish written works, drawings, etc., for publication.

Our thanks to those who contributed to our alumni newsletter.
to be an important factor; help to cause something.

A sudden downpour contributed to the traffic jam.

contribute British

/ kənˈtrɪbjuːt /

verb

to give (support, money, etc) for a common purpose or fund
to supply (ideas, opinions, etc) as part of a debate or discussion
(intr) to be partly instrumental (in) or responsible (for)

drink contributed to the accident
to write (articles) for a publication

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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Conjugated Forms

Present

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Future

Etymology

Origin of contribute

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin contribūtus, past participle of contribuēre “to bring together”; see origin at con-, tribute

Explanation

To contribute something is to provide a part of the whole. When your company has their annual softball game and potluck picnic, you will probably be asked to contribute a dish, like your famous macaroni salad. Contribute comes from a Latin word that means “to bring together, add, or unite.” When you contribute to a cause, you are adding to what other people have kicked in, which makes the effort complete. You can contribute your singing talent to a traveling a cappella group; you can contribute money or time to save rhinoceroses; you can contribute cupcakes to the gymnastics team bake sale; or you can even contribute ideas on healthcare reform to a Washington think tank.

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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:

contribute contributes contributed contributing

As “more and more of that scientific process is handled by AI,” he said, what human scientists contribute “is going to change.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

The chancellor added that giving them the opportunity to "fulfil their potential" and contribute to the economy can help the government "bring the welfare bill down in the long-term".

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

The newly identified patterns of face related brain activity could contribute to that effort.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026

Safran is seeking to contribute to this fuel savings with its wing actuators.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

They sang softly, though, so that their music would contribute to the quiet, not destroy it.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

To diversify some of this exposure and protect against a lasting downturn in the sector, Lerner advocates the U.K. equity market where tech contributes less than 1% of the aggregate CFROI.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026

The cost of healthcare greatly contributes to how much seniors spend every year, but rapidly growing prices also affect the disparity between the CPI-W and CPI-E, Mary Johnson said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

And as we explore on the latest episode of ‘Acquired’, it was this exact decision that contributes to “Seinfeld’s” astonishing relevance today, three decades after it aired.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

This finding provides evidence that the inflammatory response driven by microglia contributes directly to sleep disruption and that suppressing this response can reverse at least some of the associated sleep problems.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026

In a round, everyone contributes equally in terms of melody.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Booming business investment, low layoffs and low unemployment have also contributed to the uptick in the economy.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

Laser techniques developed at TU Wien in the 1990s contributed to advances recognized by the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026

For Wolves, Sunderland and Leicester there was considerable turmoil on and off the pitch which contributed to their demise.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

“All core businesses contributed to this,” the company said Wednesday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

Her very special marinated goose, smoked turkey, and honey-glazed ham and all the trimmings made the base of a meal that everybody contributed to.

From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals

Also contributing to the slowdown in hiring was a cycle of interest-rate increases by the Federal Reserve starting in 2022.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

Oliveira’s appointment was well-received, contributing to a recovery in shares of around 10% year-to-date.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

They suggest that colder water originating in the North Atlantic could eventually influence circulation around Antarctica, helping remove CO2 from the atmosphere and contributing to the global cooling associated with past ice ages.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026

Burch accused Weber of “knowingly” contributing the illegal marijuana deal and clarified that the anchor and Taylor had no professional or personal ties beyond matters of co-parenting.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

“You’re not contributing anything here. On the contrary, you’re in the way.”

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023