volunteer
a person who voluntarily offers to perform a service or other undertaking.
a person who performs a service willingly and without pay.
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.
Law.
a person whose actions are not founded on any legal obligation so to act.
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.
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.
Volunteer. a native or inhabitant of Tennessee (used as a nickname).
of, relating to, or being a person who voluntarily offers to do something: a volunteer fireman.
Agriculture. growing without being seeded, planted, or cultivated by a person; springing up spontaneously: volunteer tomatoes.
to offer oneself for some service or undertaking.
to enter service or enlist voluntarily.
to offer (oneself or one's services) for some undertaking or purpose.
to give, bestow, or perform voluntarily: to volunteer a song.
to say, tell, or communicate voluntarily: to volunteer an explanation.
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.
Origin of volunteer
1Other words from volunteer
- pre·vol·un·teer, noun, verb
- un·vol·un·teer·ing, adjective
Words Nearby volunteer
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use volunteer in a sentence
It declined to disclose details about the volunteer’s illness.
AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine is back on track after getting the green light to resume trials in the U.K. | Bernhard Warner | September 13, 2020 | FortuneAsked if he would have asked Mallott to resign if the lieutenant governor had not volunteered to do so, Walker said he doesn’t know.
The Woman Propositioned by Alaska’s Former Lieutenant Governor Tells Her Story for the First Time | by Kyle Hopkins and Michelle Theriault Boots, Anchorage Daily News | September 10, 2020 | ProPublicaShortly after arriving in the United States, he volunteered to join the Army and went back and fought in Europe.
My Dad served in WWII — he was a hero, not a loser | Peter Rosenstein | September 10, 2020 | Washington BladeAll that is known officially is that one of the study volunteers went to the hospital after having neurological problems.
Here’s what pausing the AstraZeneca-Oxford coronavirus vaccine trial really means | Aimee Cunningham | September 9, 2020 | Science NewsDepending on infection rates for the disease, a phase three vaccine trial may involve thousands to tens of thousands of volunteers.
Oxford Scientists: These Are Final Steps We’re Taking to Get Our Coronavirus Vaccine Approved | Rebecca Ashfield | September 9, 2020 | Singularity Hub
He then went back to his volunteer corps, which had formed when they did not yet have an ambulance.
'Please Don't Die!': The Frantic Battle to Save Murdered Cops | Michael Daly | December 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThere is a distinct smell of apples, which are handed out by volunteer workers.
Inside the Smuggling Networks Flooding Europe with Refugees | Barbie Latza Nadeau | December 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWomen do volunteer and women are victims—you have to think in nuanced kind of way.
The New Face of Boko Haram’s Terror: Teen Girls | Nina Strochlic | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTYou can read more about the civilian-volunteer position here.
LAPD Foundation: Mark Wahlberg Would Make a Good Reserve Cop | Asawin Suebsaeng | December 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHowever, the Los Angeles Police Memorial Foundation seems to be behind the idea of making their famous supporter a volunteer cop.
LAPD Foundation: Mark Wahlberg Would Make a Good Reserve Cop | Asawin Suebsaeng | December 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTYet there never was lacking a volunteer, either man or woman, to go to that well and obtain the precious water.
The Red Year | Louis TracyThere were no more sleepless nights, fearing an attack from the dreaded rebel or the volunteer.
The Philippine Islands | John ForemanHis father, a man of means, was prominent as one of the pioneers in organizing the volunteer army of Great Britain.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building | George Laing MillerOn reaching the front the volunteer captain soon found scope for his pencil.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-PattisonCaptain Brasyer brought 130 loyal Sikhs to the column: there were six small guns, and eighteen volunteer cavalry.
The Red Year | Louis Tracy
British Dictionary definitions for volunteer
/ (ˌvɒlənˈtɪə) /
a person who performs or offers to perform voluntary service
(as modifier): a volunteer system; volunteer advice
a person who freely undertakes military service, esp temporary or special service
law
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
property law a person to whom property is transferred without his giving any valuable consideration in return, as a legatee under a will
a plant that grows from seed that has not been deliberately sown
(as modifier): a volunteer plant
to offer (oneself or one's services) for an undertaking by choice and without request or obligation
(tr) to perform, give, or communicate voluntarily: to volunteer help; to volunteer a speech
(intr) to enlist voluntarily for military service
Origin of volunteer
1Collins 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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