donor

noun

do·​nor ˈdō-nər 

-ˌnȯr

1

: one that gives, donates, or presents something

2

: one used as a source of biological material (such as blood or an organ)

3

a

: a compound capable of giving up a part (such as an atom, chemical group, or subatomic particle) for combination with an acceptor

b

: an impurity added to a semiconductor to increase the number of mobile electrons

Synonyms

• angel
• benefactor
• donator
• fairy godmother
• Maecenas
• patron
• sugar daddy

Examples of donor in a Sentence

The money was raised from individual donors.

She is one of the charity's major donors.

Recent Examples on the Web

Read more Concern over Biden's stance on the Israel-Hamas war is rattling high-profile campaign donors. —USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024

Mild side effects might occur, but donors are usually able to resume their daily activities quickly. —Rachel Swalin, Health, 7 Apr. 2024

Billionaire donors pour cash into Trump campaign coffers: 'fundraising juggernaut' ... —Fox News Staff, Fox News, 5 Apr. 2024

Melania Trump makes rare appearance on 2024 campaign trail Late Fox News CEO Roger Ailes' widow Elizabeth Ailes, longtime Republican donor Saul Fox and Deborah Magowan, the wife of former Giants Chairman Peter Magowan, are also among co-hosts, the invitation shows. —Soo Rin Kim, ABC News, 5 Apr. 2024

In the soon-to-start lupus study, Caribou intends to use HLA partial matching between patients and the donor T cells that could improve outcomes, the company said. —Meghana Keshavan, STAT, 5 Apr. 2024

Mateer, a donor to DeSantis campaigns, previously had been appointed by the governor to the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority and the Board of Governors, which oversees the state university system. —Mike Schneider, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024

Nine Republican states left ERIC, which helps with voter roll maintenance, after a far-right disinformation campaign falsely accused it of being tied to George Soros, a Democratic donor who is a popular target of antisemitic conspiracy theories. —Erin Mansfield, USA TODAY, 27 Mar. 2024

Toma had the most individual donors from the district at 48, which was 26% of his total donors. —Morgan Fischer, The Arizona Republic, 27 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English donoure, from Anglo-French doneur, from Latin donator, from donare

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing donor

• donor card
• sperm donor
• universal donor

Kids Definition

donor

noun

do·​nor ˈdō-nər 

-ˌnȯr

1

: one that donates

2

: one used as a source of bodily material or parts

a blood donor

a kidney donor

Medical Definition

donor

noun

do·​nor ˈdō-nər  -ˌnȯ(ə)r 

1

: one used as a source of biological material (as blood or an organ)

2

: a compound capable of giving up a part (as an atom, chemical group, or elementary particle) for combination with an acceptor

Legal Definition

donor

noun

do·​nor ˈdō-nər, -ˌnȯr 

: one that gives, donates, grants, or confers something

specifically : settlor