Jump To:

• charity
  charity

  noun

  generous actions or donations to aid people who are poor, ill, or needy.
• Charity
  Charity

  noun

  a female given name.

charity

¹ American  

[char-i-tee] / ˈtʃær ɪ ti /

noun

• charities
  plural

1. generous actions or donations to aid people who are poor, ill, or needy.

   to devote one's life to charity.

2. something given to a person or persons in need; alms.

   She asked for work, not charity.

3. a charitable act or work.

4. a charitable fund, foundation, or institution.

   He left his estate to a charity.

5. benevolent feeling, especially toward those in need or in disfavor.

   She looked so hungry that we fed her out of charity.

   Synonyms:

   aid, philanthropy, altruism, almsgiving, quarter, mercy, indulgence, lenity, leniency, clemency, sympathy, pity, benignity, humanity, goodwill, compassion, kindness, kindliness, benevolence, donation, dole, contribution, beneficence, benefaction

   Antonyms:

   malevolence

6. leniency in judging others; forbearance.

   She was inclined to view our selfish behavior with charity.

7. Christian love; agape.

---

Charity ² American  

[char-i-tee] / ˈtʃær ɪ ti /

noun

1. a female given name.

---

charity British  

/ ˈtʃærɪtɪ /

noun

1. 1. the giving of help, money, food, etc, to those in need

   2. ( as modifier )

      a charity show

2. 1. an institution or organization set up to provide help, money, etc, to those in need

   2. ( as modifier )

      charity funds

3. the help, money, etc, given to the needy; alms

4. a kindly and lenient attitude towards people

5. love of one's fellow men

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• overcharity
  noun
• charityless
  adjective
• procharity
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• charities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of charity

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English charite, from Old French charite, cherite, from Latin cāritāt- (stem of cāritās “high price, costliness, dearness, affection, esteem”), equivalent to cār(us) “costly, dear” + -itāt- noun suffix; see cherish, Kama, caress; see also -ity

Explanation

Charity is the donation of something, like money, to a cause or person in need. Before offering charity to someone, make sure he is, in fact, needy, and not just some fashion fiend dressed like a homeless person! Charity comes in many forms including monetary donation, volunteering, or providing clothes and food for those less fortunate. The Greek poet Homer said, “The charity that is a trifle to us can be precious to others.” Think of charity, then, as something that may cost you a little, but can benefit someone else greatly. Charity also refers to a nice way to treat people, an organization that helps people, or a plant with blue and white flowers.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

charity Charity charities

It is currently being used by Silhouette Youth Theatre, a charity that aims to make the arts more accessible.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

Frome Birth Talk provided counselling to more than 155 mothers in 2026, but charity chiefs warn they will have to cut back on support unless they can raise £10,000 by Sunday.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

"The charity held me, allowed me to let go of my worries and fears and gave me space to make sense of things," she said.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

A reporter on the Times, John Clare, discovered that another charity for which Archer worked alleged he had misused expenses with claims for meals at posh London restaurants.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

When Mr. Reilly doesn’t, Mrs. Gregson says, “Would you mind? It would help her learn an important lesson about charity and kindness.”

From "Landscape with Invisible Hand" by M.T. Anderson

Charity leaders have said the changes were to reach more students, not to cut funding.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

After the ruling, the Charity Commission said its disqualification of Campbell had been made on the "evidence available to us at the time".

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

The Charity Commission watchdog had banned Campbell in 2024 after identifying "multiple instances of misconduct" at her charity, Fashion for Relief.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

Cooper added Sullivan would be "sorely missed by us all at the Royal Variety Charity".

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

A man and his young son walk down the row past Charity.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

Under the rules that took effect last week, charities controlled by wealthy people—with Treasury Department approval—can put individual stocks into the accounts of thousands or millions of children.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

With Treasury Department approval, charities controlled by wealthy people can target groups of at least 5,000, sorted by age, geography or both.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

However, charities have raised concerns that domestic abuse survivors may still be put at risk, despite such provisions.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

It was dissolved and removed from the register of charities in 2024.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

Sure, I could fight with the bank, or plead with the charities.

From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman

Related Words

• donation
• endowment
• fund
• philanthropy