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• 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.

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Charity ² American  

[char-i-tee] / ˈtʃær ɪ ti /

noun

1. a female given name.

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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

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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

The charity tournament and Worcestershire Junior Rapid-Play Championships were held at the venue, with more than 30 taking part, of which the majority were from Worcestershire.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Luna Blanca, a Ceuta-based charity providing food and social assistance to vulnerable people, said it had been distributing between 3,500 and 4,000 meals a day since the influx began.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

Arday clarified to the Guardian newspaper the that £5 million fundraising for charity was done by a group of people over two decades.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

He runs the Colyton Foundation, a charity that supports young people into university.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

I’m betting it’s charity work, or maybe he’s been secretly chatting with Aimee and arranging a meet-up so she and I can make things right before I kick the bucket.

From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera

It comes weeks after it submitted a serious incident report to the Charity Commission over ongoing financial issues.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

Charity leaders have said donations to food banks and community larders have hit record lows and they face an uncertain future.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

In June 2023, she organized a star-studded auction to raise money for the British cancer research nonprofit the Brain Tumour Charity and raised the equivalent of about $93,500.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

"A huge thank you to everybody who has supported The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity," the post reads.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

Without noticing, Grandma Charity and I would have combed a big pile of cotton while Grandma Sylvie was busy turning it into ball thread.

From "Life Is So Good" by George Dawson

Children sleeping rough were relying on charities and local residents for food and other basic supplies.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

But more than 20 charities in both countries have said the French-British deal inflicts "further harm on people who have already survived war, torture, persecution, violence, human trafficking, and a treacherous sea journey".

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

The musician, who became a father three years ago, has also been hailed by charities for his work in raising money for the homeless.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Bush, 48, who ran Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull, stole up to £12,000 from charities and sold fake funeral plans.

From BBC ● Aug. 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