volunteer

American  

[vol-uhn-teer] / ˌvɒl ənˈtɪər /

noun

• volunteers
  plural

1. a person who voluntarily offers to perform a service or other undertaking.

2. a person who performs a service willingly and without pay.

3. Military. a person who enters the service voluntarily rather than through conscription or draft, especially for special or temporary service rather than as a member of the regular or permanent army.

4. Law.

   1. a person whose actions are not founded on any legal obligation so to act.

   2. a person who steps into a matter that does not concern them, such as a person who pays the debt of another where they are neither legally nor morally bound to do so and has no interest to protect in making the payment.

5. Agriculture. Also volunteer plant a plant that springs up spontaneously, without being seeded, planted, or cultivated by a person.

   We didn't plant any watermelons this year, but look at all the volunteers from last year's crop.

6. Volunteer. a native or inhabitant of Tennessee (used as a nickname).

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or being a person who voluntarily offers to do something.

   a volunteer fireman.

2. Agriculture. growing without being seeded, planted, or cultivated by a person; springing up spontaneously.

   volunteer tomatoes.

verb (used without object)

• volunteers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• volunteered,
  past participle,  past
• volunteering
  present participle

1. to offer oneself for some service or undertaking.

2. to enter service or enlist voluntarily.

verb (used with object)

• volunteers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• volunteered,
  past participle,  past
• volunteering
  present participle

1. to offer (oneself or one's services) for some undertaking or purpose.

2. to give, bestow, or perform voluntarily.

   to volunteer a song.

3. to say, tell, or communicate voluntarily.

   to volunteer an explanation.

4. to promise the services of (someone) without having asked if it is something they actually can or want to do.

   He volunteered me to sand and paint the bottom of the boat, and I don’t have the slightest interest in sanding, painting, or boating.

volunteer British  

/ ˌvɒlənˈtɪə /

noun

1. 1. a person who performs or offers to perform voluntary service

   2. ( as modifier )

      a volunteer system

      volunteer advice

2. a person who freely undertakes military service, esp temporary or special service

3. law

   1. a person who does some act or enters into a transaction without being under any legal obligation to do so and without being promised any remuneration for his services

   2. property law a person to whom property is transferred without his giving any valuable consideration in return, as a legatee under a will

4. 1. a plant that grows from seed that has not been deliberately sown

   2. ( as modifier )

      a volunteer plant

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verb

1. to offer (oneself or one's services) for an undertaking by choice and without request or obligation

2. (tr) to perform, give, or communicate voluntarily

   to volunteer help

   to volunteer a speech

3. (intr) to enlist voluntarily for military service

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prevolunteer
  noun
• unvolunteering
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• volunteers
  plural

Participles

• volunteering
  present
• volunteered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• volunteer
  simple
• volunteers
  simple
• have volunteered
  perfect
• has volunteered
  perfect
• am volunteering
  progressive
• are volunteering
  progressive
• is volunteering
  progressive
• have been volunteering
  perfect progressive
• has been volunteering
  perfect progressive

Past

• volunteered
  simple
• had volunteered
  perfect
• was volunteering
  progressive
• were volunteering
  progressive
• had been volunteering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will volunteer
  simple
• will have volunteered
  perfect
• will be volunteering
  progressive
• will have been volunteering
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of volunteer

First recorded in 1590–1600; from French volontaire, from Latin voluntārius voluntary, with -eer for French -aire

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Explanation

To volunteer means to freely offer up your time and service to help. So a volunteer might offer to water a neighbor's plants while he's on vacation or sign up to serve dinner at a local homeless shelter. When it came into usage circa 1600, the noun volunteer referred to a person who offered himself up for military service. It wasn't until a few decades later that the word was first used in a non-military sense. And a little over a hundred years after that, volunteer expanded from functioning as just a noun to also playing the role of verb. A volunteer is someone who volunteers: willingly performs a task or offers a service.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

volunteer volunteers volunteered volunteering

The country's volunteer firefighters had around $320,000 deposited in the bank.

From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2026

Villegas, who will turn 32 this week, credits an army of volunteer canvassers, who prioritized reaching out to people who did not have a history of voting.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2026

Born in New York in 1937, Rockefeller first arrived in West Virginia in 1964 as an anti-poverty volunteer, working in a remote Appalachian mining community.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

After her diagnosis, Laura began to volunteer with the perinatal mental health team "as a way to give back" to the NHS, which she said had carried her through "the lowest time of her life".

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

Especially Calvin “Big-Headed” Faribault, who actually raised his hand, and I just knew it was to volunteer out of the kindness of his big, fat, big-headed heart.

From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan

Joining him would be a band of volunteers from the National Association of Black Scuba Divers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026

Bennett Rogers of Palos Verdes High volunteers at football games to run the camera.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2026

Addressing residents, staff and volunteers in Spanish, Leo said disabled people were "not a burden on society" but "a blessing."

From Barron's ● Nov. 9, 2026

The plane was lifted into place on 20 October, with five volunteers helping him out as well as the crane operators.

From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2026

To reduce the danger of health effects that might appear later, they opted for older volunteers.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

"One of them showed symptoms seven days after arriving and was admitted to the Ebola treatment centre," said Bakikula, who volunteered to work at the facility after surviving Ebola herself.

From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026

So, I volunteered to join her, part-time and pro bono.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

Way back in the Bush II and Obama years, I volunteered at my college radio station in the Music Procurement Department or whatever it was called.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

She studied biology in college and volunteered in health clinics before changing course and attending law school.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

This is the energy I loved when we volunteered at the half-marathon three years ago.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Goher Rahbour, a British surgeon volunteering at the Hospital, told AFP that Palestinian doctor Rizeq Abu Sheikh, with whom he had conducted a surgery Wednesday evening, was among those killed in the strike Thursday.

From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2026

I’d love to see her encourage more people to contribute by volunteering for organizations like SELAH, or for faith-based groups and non-profits.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2026

Life is not one big vacation, so there are many ways you can fill your time — volunteering, playing golf or tennis, etc.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026

Bolivian scientist Dr Nogales-Ascarrunz was volunteering at the sanctuary when she noticed the cat looked unusual.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

“Only after you didn’t like me. I was really excited that another kid was volunteering here for the summer. I thought we might be friends.”

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

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Related Words

• come forward
• enlist
• sign up
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