contributor

noun

con·​trib·​u·​tor kən-ˈtri-byə-tər 

-bə-,

-ˌbyü-

: 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

Examples of contributor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

David Nield is a freelance contributor at Popular Science, producing how to guides and explainers for the DIY section on everything from improving your smartphone photos to boosting the security of your laptop. —David Nield, Popular Science, 4 Apr. 2024

At a hearing last December, critics led by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, attacked the program for a range of abuses, including FBI agents using it investigate contributors to political campaigns. —USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024

Shaye Baker is a bass fishing content contributor for Field & Stream. —Shaye Baker, Field & Stream, 3 Apr. 2024

Last season, Frazier became a key contributor for the Orioles. —Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 2 Apr. 2024

According to Bloomberg, the Reddit and Astera Labs IPOs were the main contributors to the total $9.6 billion raised by IPOs during the first quarter of 2024. —María Soledad Davila Calero, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024

Today’s great photo is from Times contributor David Vassalli at the three-story, 1,100-square-foot Aluminaire House, the newest and oldest structure designed by Albert Frey in Palm Springs. —Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024

That’s how much McDaniel was expected to make in each year of her contract as a guest contributor with NBC, according to multiple media outlets, a premium price for a cable news contributor. —James Farrell, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024

Bottle weight is included, because this is the single most important contributor to wine’s carbon footprint. —Dave McIntyre, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English contributour "person who pays a tax or assessment," borrowed from Anglo-French, "one who pays a share of a tax or fine," from Latin contribūt-, past participle stem of Latin contribuere "to give as a portion or share" + -our -or entry 1 — more at contribute

First Known Use

circa 1531, in the meaning defined above