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. 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.

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “THEIR,” “THERE,” AND “THEY’RE”

Are you aware how often people swap around “their,” “there,” and “they’re”? Prove you have more than a fair grasp over these commonly confused words.

Question 1 of 7

Which one of these commonly confused words can act as an adverb or a pronoun?

their

there

they're

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of volunteer

1590–1600; <French volontaire<Latin voluntāriusvoluntary, with -eer for French -aire

OTHER WORDS FROM volunteer

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for volunteer

In a statement, Pfizer’s CEO, Albert Bourla, said the vaccine’s development took “248 long days and nights,” involving 43,661 volunteers at 150 locations in the US, Turkey, and South Africa.
Pfizer wants authorization to start distributing its vaccine by Christmas|Antonio Regalado|November 20, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Over the past eight months, the pair — now known around the small town as “the cookie guys” — and their 100 volunteer bakers have made more than 15,500 cookies.
It started as a macho bake-off between dads. Months later, they’ve delivered 15,000 cookies to essential workers.|Sydney Page|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
All staffers are volunteering to return, according to the school system.
After 8 months, D.C. Public Schools reopens buildings for more than 400 students|Perry Stein|November 18, 2020|Washington Post
We decided to allow any of our 20,000 employees to take up to 10% of their time to volunteer on innovation accelerated by the lab.
Leveraging collective intelligence and AI to benefit society|Jason Sparapani|November 18, 2020|MIT Technology Review

Cindy Candia, a volunteer with Angry Tias and Abuelas, a group that assists migrants and asylum seekers in the Rio Grande Valley, previously ran a local PFLAG chapter with her husband.
Texas activists rally behind human trafficking victims|Michael K. Lavers|November 18, 2020|Washington Blade
His regular partner was late that day, and Police Officer Wenjian Liu volunteered to fill in.
In The Shadow of Murdered Cops|Michael Daly|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Finally, Ciolino volunteered a lawyer, Jack Rimland, to represent Simon in court.
Wrongly Imprisoned for 15 Years Thanks to an Innocence Project|Jacob Siegel|November 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Jackson volunteered this information to detectives, just before the trial, in the mistaken belief that it would help Wise.
The Myth of the Central Park Five|Edward Conlon|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The sisters, who volunteered for relief work in addition to ministerial service through their order, were extraordinary women.
Caught: Female Assassin Who Allegedly Murdered Five American Nuns|Barbie Latza Nadeau|September 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
More than a dozen from Texas colleges and universities volunteered to take part in reviewing texts this past summer.
In Texas Textbooks, Moses Is a Founding Father|Edward Countryman|September 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"I'll look in the bar," I volunteered, remembering the kid had left with more of a roll than Meadows had now.
Fee of the Frontier|Horace Brown Fyfe
The third, a young man, was confined for having volunteered as chaplain in a Union regiment.
Portrait and Biography of Parson Brownlow, The Tennessee Patriot|William Gannaway Brownlow
"Oh, they'll maybe put Aggie Lowrieson on your side o' the table," he volunteered, glad that at last she had shown some feeling.
The Underworld|James C. Welsh
This work was turned over to women and children, while young boy scouts came and volunteered to work on the farms.
Ways of War and Peace|Delia Austrian
O'Toole volunteered to go, but the boatmen would not take him, evidently having had their orders.
Famous Adventures And Prison Escapes of the Civil War|Various

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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