vol·un·teer
ˌvä-lən-ˈtir 
1
: a person who voluntarily undertakes or expresses a willingness to undertake a service: such as
a
: one who enters into military service voluntarily
b(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
Volunteer
[Volunteers of America]
: a member of a quasi-military religious and philanthropic organization founded in 1896 by Commander and Mrs. Ballington Booth
volunteered; volunteering; volunteers
: to offer oneself as a volunteer
volunteered to host the meeting
: to offer or bestow voluntarily
volunteer one's services
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
Noun
Volunteers are needed to help with the bake sale.
The school was built by volunteers.
Verb
Our son volunteered for military service.
He would not volunteer any information about her whereabouts.
Adjective
volunteer work at the hospital
Recent Examples on the Web
Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
The Maplewood building, which is owned by Ramsey County, houses an average of 17 families and has drawn some 494 volunteers this year alone, accounting for nearly 3,000 hours of service, according to Catholic Charities, which began informing longtime volunteers of the situation last week by email.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 19 Apr. 2026
Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
The 37-year-old had the opportunity to leave the front at one point but volunteered to stay due to the manpower challenges.
—Daria Tarasova-Markina, CNN Money, 20 Apr. 2026
Hannah Kirby, Journal Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2023
That’s noteworthy for a show based at a high-school auditorium in Litchfield and run by a staff that is almost entirely volunteer, including the show’s star and its producer.
—Susan Dunne, Hartford Courant, 18 Aug. 2022
See All Example Sentences for volunteer
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Noun
According to a Facebook post shared by the organization and volunteer Shawn McDonald, Flávia, 38, disappeared underwater shortly after the start of the swimming portion of the competition.
—Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
The Maplewood building, which is owned by Ramsey County, houses an average of 17 families and has drawn some 494 volunteers this year alone, accounting for nearly 3,000 hours of service, according to Catholic Charities, which began informing longtime volunteers of the situation last week by email.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 19 Apr. 2026
Verb
Some young men, eager to assert their Americanness, answered yes to both questions and volunteered for military service; members of the all-Japanese 442nd Regimental Combat Team quickly became war heroes.
—Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
The 37-year-old had the opportunity to leave the front at one point but volunteered to stay due to the manpower challenges.
—Daria Tarasova-Markina, CNN Money, 20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Within the past couple of years, the group has become a part of Arrowhead Kingdom, an all-volunteer national network of Chiefs fan groups.
—Hannah Kirby, Journal Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2023
That’s noteworthy for a show based at a high-school auditorium in Litchfield and run by a staff that is almost entirely volunteer, including the show’s star and its producer.
—Susan Dunne, Hartford Courant, 18 Aug. 2022
See All Example Sentences for volunteer
Cite this Entry
“Volunteer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/volunteer. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
volunteer
1 of 3 noun
vol·un·teer
ˌväl-ən-ˈti(ə)r
: a person who volunteers for a service
volunteer
2 of 3 adjective
: being, consisting of, or engaged in by volunteers
a volunteer fire department
volunteer activities
volunteer
3 of 3 verb1
: to offer voluntarily
volunteered my services
2
: to offer oneself as a volunteer
volunteered to do the job
Legal Definition
volunteer
noun
vol·un·teer
ˌvä-lən-ˈtir
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
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