donated

The word “donated” means given freely as a gift rather than bought or paid for. In plain terms, describes something that was given away for free, typically to help someone or a cause.

“Donated” is pronounced doh-NAY-tihd (/ˈdoʊneɪtɪd/ in IPA).

Here is “donated” used in a sentence: “The shelter runs almost entirely on donated food and clothing.”

“Donated” is an adjective.

“Donated” is a fairly common word in modern English.

Donated describes something given freely to an organization, cause, or public effort — donated blood, donated clothing, donated books. Gifted, or given as a gift, points to a personal present from one person to another. A painting gifted to a friend would be described as donated if it went to a museum instead.

Contributed emphasizes giving a share alongside others toward a joint result — contributed funds, contributed time. Donated emphasizes that the thing was given freely as a gift rather than bought, paid for, or exchanged. Money can be both, but "donated equipment" stresses that nobody paid for it.

Use donated to for the recipient: "The books were donated to the library." Use donated for for the purpose the gift serves: "Prizes were donated for the raffle." Donated by introduces the giver: "a bench donated by a local family."