Definition of volunteer
1 : a person who voluntarily undertakes or expresses a willingness to undertake a service: such asa : one who enters into military service voluntarilyb (1) : one who renders a service or takes part in a transaction while having no legal concern or interest (2) : one who receives a conveyance or transfer of property without giving valuable consideration
2 : a volunteer plant
3 capitalized [Volunteers of America] : a member of a quasi-military religious and philanthropic organization founded in 1896 by Commander and Mrs. Ballington Booth
Read the Latest from M-W
Examples of volunteer in a Sentence
Volunteers are needed to help with the bake sale.
The school was built by volunteers.
Origin and Etymology of volunteer
obsolete French voluntaire (now volontaire), from voluntaire, adjective, voluntary, from Old French, from Latin voluntarius
First Known Use: circa 1600
volunteer
Definition of volunteer
intransitive verb
: to offer oneself as a volunteer volunteered to host the meeting
transitive verb
: to offer or bestow voluntarily volunteer one's services
Examples of volunteer in a Sentence
volunteer work at the hospital
1709
First Known Use of volunteer
1709
volunteer
Definition of volunteer
1 : being, consisting of, or engaged in by volunteers a volunteer army busy with volunteer activities
2 : growing spontaneously without direct human control or supervision especially from seeds lost from a previous crop volunteer corn plants
Examples of volunteer in a Sentence
Our son volunteered for military service.
He would not volunteer any information about her whereabouts.
1649
First Known Use of volunteer
1649
VOLUNTEER Defined for English Language Learners
Definition of volunteer for English Language Learners
-
: a person who chooses to join the military
-
: a person who does work without getting paid to do it
volunteer
Definition of volunteer for English Language Learners
-
: of, relating to, or done by volunteers
volunteer
Definition of volunteer for English Language Learners
-
: to offer to do something without being forced to or without getting paid to do it
-
: to choose to join the military
-
: to give (something) without being forced to or without getting paid for it
VOLUNTEER Defined for Kids
Definition of volunteer for Students
: a person who does something by free choice usually with no payment expected or given Volunteers painted the town hall.
Definition of volunteer for Students
: relating to or done by volunteers a volunteer fire department
Definition of volunteer for Students
volunteered
;volunteering
: to offer or give without being asked or forced and usually with no expectation of payment I volunteered my services. Tucker Mouse had volunteered to let them use the drain pipe … — George Selden, The Cricket in Times Square
Law Dictionary
volunteer
playLegal Definition of volunteer
1 : one that voluntarily undertakes something; especially : one who without request, obligation, or an interest pays the debt of another and is denied reimbursement from subrogation
2 : one who receives property without giving valuable consideration
Learn More about volunteer
-
See words that rhyme with volunteer Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for volunteer Spanish Central: Translation of volunteer Nglish: Translation of volunteer for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of volunteer for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up volunteer? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!