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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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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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Vocabulary lists containing contribute

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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

Then they must decide what to invest in and what share of their salary to contribute.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

Future studies could determine whether it alters other features of the mouth that contribute to healthy teeth and gums.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026

Sam hopes his idea can contribute more broadly to conservation efforts.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

The procedures remove plaque below the gumline and disrupt bacterial biofilms that contribute to gum inflammation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

And I guess people like Merryl Abrams contribute to that, but those of us who are serious about it grin and bear a lot more than players in some “real” sports.

From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen

In both scenarios, the couple contributes $480, but in the second scenario they get $30 per month more in savings.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

So if the employee contributes 3%, the employer does, too, but a contribution of 4% still gets only a 3% match.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

For every dollar a highway officer earns in compensation, the state contributes 65 cents to his pension.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

Using mouse models that lacked either cDC1 cells or a related subtype called cDC2, the team explored how each cell population contributes to the immune response after mRNA cancer vaccination.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026

A masterpiece, then, is a work that contributes to our vision of life and leaves us profoundly moved.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson

The first partner’s employer matches the initial 3% of salary contributed at a 1-to-1 rate.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

Times staff writers Malia Mendez and Jessica Gelt contributed to this report.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

It said such devices contributed to higher atmospheric pollution of nitrogen oxides that are suspected of "provoking the development of respiratory diseases in humans".

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

While living aboard the orbiting laboratory, Williams contributed to numerous scientific studies and technology demonstrations.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026

Those and other draconian measures must have contributed to the spread of North China’s Sino-Tibetan languages over most of China, and to reducing the Miao-Yao and other language families to their present fragmented distributions.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Ugarte has benefited from nearly $1 million in independent expenditures, which differ from campaign contributions, with Airbnb contributing $302,000 to support his candidacy and the California Apartment Assn.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

Fat accumulation in the liver may also have impaired the ability of pancreatic beta cells to release insulin, contributing to higher blood sugar levels in people in cluster 5.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026

Before joining the Times, she was a contributing writer to Time magazine and a correspondent for the Economist.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

She does this by contributing a little bit of money every month into a "sinking fund" - a pot of money set aside for a specific purpose.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Cora thought better of contributing to the discussion.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

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