volunteer

[ vol-uh n-teer ]

/ ˌvɒl ənˈtɪər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR volunteer 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. a volunteer plant.

(initial capital letter) 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.

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.

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Origin of volunteer

1590–1600; < French volontaire < 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, voluntary muscle, voluntary retailer, voluntary sector, voluntaryism, volunteer, volunteer army, volunteer bureau, volunteer state, volunteerism, volunteers in service to america

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for volunteer

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
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

In the final stretch of the campaign, Gotauco, the Healey volunteer, recorded a song she titled "Integrity in A-Minor."
How to Run a Statewide Campaign on $38|Michael Ames|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That cannot be proved unless you volunteer as a witness, and give away the whole vile story of the plot to abduct Miss Maynard.
A Traitor's Wooing|Headon Hill
It was on this night that the Curé made up his mind to volunteer, and soon he was at the Front.
Everyman's Land|C. N. Williamson and A. M. Williamson
We went on—the Blight thrilled, for she had heard much of our volunteer force at the Gap and had seen something already.
A Knight of the Cumberland|John Fox Jr.
The volunteer corps consisted almost entirely of young men of the country.
The Old Santa Fe Trail|Henry Inman
The brick in the building of Felix Bachman & Company and the volunteer bucket-brigade prevented a general conflagration.
Sixty Years in Southern California 1853-1913|Harris Newmark

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

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volunteer