volunteerism

noun

vol·​un·​teer·​ism ˌvä-lən-ˈtir-ˌi-zəm 

1

: voluntarism sense 1

2

: the act or practice of doing volunteer work in community service

Examples of volunteerism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Jim Turner, for his volunteerism at the Elgin History Museum since 2012 with tours, greeting visitors, answering questions, playing folk music for museum events among countless other museum tasks. —Courier-News, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026

Sam Di Scipio, vice president, corporate communications, giving and volunteerism at Macy’s, said the model demonstrates a larger effort to align social impact with everyday retail interactions, rather than isolating it as a separate initiative. —Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 1 Apr. 2026

That’s where corporate volunteerism plays a critical role. —Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Mar. 2026

Research also shows that acts of kindness and volunteerism — serving others — are associated with lower mortality and better physical functioning into old age. —Sreedhar Potarazu, Baltimore Sun, 15 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1844, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for volunteerism

• activism
• ageism
• albinism
• altruism
• aneurism
• animism
• aphorism
• atomism
• barbarism
• bolshevism
• botulism
• brahmanism