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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use volunteer in a sentence
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 ReviewOver 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 PostAll 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 PostWe 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 ReviewCindy 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.
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 | THE DAILY BEASTJackson volunteered this information to detectives, just before the trial, in the mistaken belief that it would help Wise.
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 | THE DAILY BEASTMore 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 | THE 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 FyfeThe 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. WelshThis 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 AustrianO'Toole volunteered to go, but the boatmen would not take him, evidently having had their orders.
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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