contribute
Americanverb (used with object)
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contributes,
present (3rd person singular)
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contributed,
past participle, past
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contributing
present participle
verb (used without object)
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contributes,
present (3rd person singular)
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contributed,
past participle, past
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contributing
present participle
-
to give to a common supply, fund, etc..
He contributes to many charities.
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to furnish written works, drawings, etc., for publication.
Our thanks to those who contributed to our alumni newsletter.
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to be an important factor; help to cause something.
A sudden downpour contributed to the traffic jam.
verb
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to give (support, money, etc) for a common purpose or fund
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to supply (ideas, opinions, etc) as part of a debate or discussion
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(intr) to be partly instrumental (in) or responsible (for)
drink contributed to the accident
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to write (articles) for a publication
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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contributivenessnoun
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noncontributivenessnoun
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uncontributivenessnoun
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overcontributeverb
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precontributeverb (used with object)
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contributableadjective
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contributiveadjective
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noncontributableadjective
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noncontributingadjective
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noncontributiveadjective
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uncontributedadjective
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uncontributingadjective
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uncontributiveadjective
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contributivelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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contributesimple
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contributessimple
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have contributedperfect
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has contributedperfect
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am contributingprogressive
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are contributingprogressive
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is contributingprogressive
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have been contributingperfect progressive
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has been contributingperfect progressive
Past
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contributedsimple
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had contributedperfect
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was contributingprogressive
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were contributingprogressive
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had been contributingperfect progressive
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.
Vocabulary lists containing contribute
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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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:
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
In some cases, their activity can even contribute to disease.
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
And freedom is only the right to contribute.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
To determine whether reduced cardiolipin directly contributes to these changes, rather than simply occurring alongside them, the team experimentally lowered cardiolipin levels in young mice.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026
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
Similar to a round, everyone contributes a melody.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
The researchers suggest that oxygen released from these ancient volcanic systems could have contributed to changes in atmospheric composition.
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
Winrevair, a pulmonary arterial hypertension treatment, also contributed to Merck’s overall topline growth, with sales up 93% year over year to $694 million.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
One of the largest contributors to the Yes on Prop 45 committee is a federally recognized tribe, the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, which contributed $750,000.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
The Renaissance was the time when Western Europeans lost their awe of the Ancients and realized that they had as much to contribute to civilization and society as the Greeks and Romans had contributed.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
Microsoft’s cloud business continued to post accelerating growth in the company’s most recent quarter, contributing to a higher profit and easing jitters over potential returns from the AI infrastructure build-out, WSJ reports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
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
Over time, oxidative stress can damage proteins, DNA, and other cellular components, contributing to aging and chronic disease.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
As in other towns, workers formed the society by contributing a small payment from their wages, to cover costs when medical needs arose.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026
However, five main contributing factors can still be identified; the controversies revolve mainly around their relative importance.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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