volunteer

[ vol-uhn-teer ]

/ ˌvɒl ənˈtɪər /

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See synonyms for: volunteer / volunteered / volunteering / volunteers on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person who voluntarily offers himself or herself for a service or 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 intrudes into a matter that does not concern him or her, as a person who pays the debt of another where he or she is 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).

adjective

of, relating to, or being a volunteer or volunteers: a volunteer fireman.

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

verb (used without object)

to offer oneself for some service or undertaking.

to enter service or enlist as a volunteer.

verb (used with object)

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.

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Origin of volunteer

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

OTHER WORDS FROM volunteer

pre·vol·un·teer, noun, verbun·vol·un·teer·ing, adjective

Words nearby volunteer

voluntary association, voluntaryism, voluntary muscle, voluntary retailer, voluntary sector, volunteer, volunteer army, volunteer bureau, volunteerism, Volunteers in Service to America, Volunteers of America

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

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|Fortune
Asked 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|ProPublica
Shortly 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 Blade
All 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 News

Depending 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|DAILY BEAST
There 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|DAILY BEAST
Women 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|DAILY BEAST
You can read more about the civilian-volunteer position here.
LAPD Foundation: Mark Wahlberg Would Make a Good Reserve Cop|Asawin Suebsaeng|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
However, 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|DAILY BEAST
Yet there never was lacking a volunteer, either man or woman, to go to that well and obtain the precious water.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
There were no more sleepless nights, fearing an attack from the dreaded rebel or the volunteer.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
His 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 Miller
On reaching the front the volunteer captain soon found scope for his pencil.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
Captain 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

volunteer

/ (ˌvɒlənˈtɪə) /

noun

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

verb

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

(tr) to perform, give, or communicate voluntarilyto volunteer help; to volunteer a speech

(intr) to enlist voluntarily for military service

Word Origin for volunteer

C17: from French volontaire, from Latin voluntārius willing; see voluntary

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

volunteer

Origin of volunteer

OTHER WORDS FROM volunteer

Words nearby volunteer

Words related to volunteer

How to use volunteer in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for volunteer

Word Origin for volunteer