contributor

noun con·trib·u·tor \ kən-ˈtri-byə-tər , -bə- , -ˌbyü- \

|Updated on: 12 Aug 2018

Definition of contributor

: someone or something that contributes something or that contributes to something

charitable contributors

… have suggested that the fee would hurt the agriculture industry, a sector they claim is the largest contributor to the state economy.
—Wenonah Hauter

… was illustrated by Oliver Munday, a frequent contributor to the Book Review …
—John Williams

These particles, which are known as black carbon and are the major component of soot, are the second most important contributor to global warming, behind only carbon dioxide, wrote the 31 authors of the study …
—Elisabeth Rosenthal

Recent Examples of contributor from the Web

Indiana returns every relevant contributor from the 2017 rotation, adds a graduate transfer center in Nick Linder and got healthy in the offseason.

— zach osterman, Indianapolis Star, "Insider: 5 burning questions facing IU football in 2018," 12 July 2018
Horizon Foundation is the program’s biggest financial contributor, having given $250,000 so far, with plans to fund $450,000 over three years.

— kate magill, Howard County Times, "County hopes to double use of bikeshare program in second year," 9 July 2018
His money comes from a handful of Bridgeport contributors, many who do business with the city, and includes $60,000 from himself.

— neil vigdor, courant.com, "Joe Ganim Approaches $800K Fundraising Mark In Governor's Race," 9 July 2018
National security adviser John Bolton is a former Fox contributor, and economic adviser Larry Kudlow is a former CNBC personality.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Trump’s reveal of his Supreme Court choice will be a show, and that’s how he likes it," 8 July 2018
Someone might suggest, though, that even with his current numbers, Hamilton is underrated as an offensive contributor and, combined with his Gold Glove-level defense, is better than a pinch runner/late-inning defensive replacement.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Paul Daugherty: Forget numbers when deciding Billy Hamilton's value to the Cincinnati Reds," 7 July 2018
Mueller has been a constant contributor this season.

— jordan culver, Pro Soccer USA, "Orlando City rookie Chris Mueller eager to prove himself to new coach," 5 July 2018
Gay was a solid contributor for San Antonio last season, averaging 11.5 points per game while mostly spending time at power forward.

— rohan nadkarni, SI.com, "Grades: Amid Kawhi Rumors, Spurs Bolster Wing Rotation with Rudy Gay, Marco Belinelli," 1 July 2018
But Knox probably won’t be a major contributor this season.

— keith pompey, Philly.com, "Sixers NBA draft preview: Seven players Philly could be considering in the lottery," 16 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'contributor.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.