donate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
donatesimple
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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
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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 we donate, we believe the money is going for God's work," he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
June 2010: The Giving Pledge is launched, aimed at getting the world’s richest people to donate most of their wealth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Parents are being encouraged to donate unwanted school uniforms and prom outfits and swap them for something else, or take what they need for free, at a new pop-up event.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
“I am beyond beyond grateful to everyone who rushed into help me,” she wrote in her caption,”get checked to donate, you are all hero’s!”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
The German people have been asked to donate woolen and fur clothing for the soldiers at the Russian front, where winter comes early.
From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
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
Plus, BlackRock donates $100 million to train trade workers and a billion-dollar AI startup founded by teenagers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 11, 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
Dr. Bigelow donates the plaster head of Phineas to go with it.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
To the joy of many Jackie supporters, news broke Friday that OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman and his wife Anna donated $5.5 million to help purchase land that was slated for development near her family’s nest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
The researchers examined both the animal models and tissue donated by patients.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
FareShare North East redistributes food donated by supermarkets from its warehouses in Newcastle and Middlesbrough to more than 200 community groups, including food banks.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Coxe and his wife, Simone Coxe, own properties in California and Texas and have donated to political campaigns, including 2022 Texas gubernatorial hopeful Beto O’Rourke, a Democrat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Along with the community institutions, individuals donated what they could.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
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 the pilot program donating the $1,000 seed money to eligible children.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
Kelly said she admires Swift and Kelce for donating to charity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 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
“Nobody is donating much these days. These people keep coming here and asking me for food, and then they start to ask for jobs. You know, they came back from the North with nothing. Nothing.”
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
