donate
duh-NAYT
Donate (verb) means to give money, goods, or time freely to help a cause or another person. Example: “Many people donate old clothes to the shop when they tidy their wardrobes.”
verb
1
To give money, goods, or time freely to help a cause or another person.
"Many people donate old clothes to the shop when they tidy their wardrobes."
"She donates ten percent of her salary to charity every month."
"He donated a kidney to his brother."
How to use donate
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo give something away, usually to a charity, cause, or person in need, without expecting payment.
Common pairings
donate money
donate blood
donate to charity
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Word forms
- Third person singular
- donates
- Past tense
- donated
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
Many people _____ old clothes to the shop when they tidy their wardrobes.
Etymology
A back-formation from "donation," ultimately from Latin donare, "to give," from donum, "a gift."
Synonyms
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Rhymes for donate
See all rhymes for donate →Frequently asked questions
What does “donate” mean?
The word “donate” means to give money, goods, or time freely to help a cause or another person. In plain terms, to give something away, usually to a charity, cause, or person in need, without expecting payment.
How do you pronounce “donate”?
“Donate” is pronounced duh-NAYT (/ˈdoʊˌneɪt/ in IPA).
How do you use “donate” in a sentence?
Here is “donate” used in a sentence: “She donates ten percent of her salary to charity every month.”
What part of speech is “donate”?
“Donate” is a verb.
Where does the word “donate” come from?
The word “donate” comes from Latin. A back-formation from "donation," ultimately from Latin donare, "to give," from donum, "a gift.".
Is “donate” a common word?
“Donate” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.
What is the difference between donate and give?
Give is the all-purpose word for handing something over, while donate specifically means giving money, goods, or time freely to help a cause or another person. You give a friend a birthday present, but you donate clothes to a shelter.
What is the difference between donate and contribute?
Both involve giving to a cause, but contribute emphasizes being one of several givers adding to a shared pool or effort, while donate emphasizes the free gift itself. In charity contexts the two often overlap.
Do you donate "to" or "for" something?
The recipient takes to: you donate blood to a hospital or money to a charity. For can introduce the purpose of the gift, as in "donate money for flood relief," but the organization or person receiving it always takes to.
What are the noun forms of donate?
The act or gift is a donation, and the person who gives is a donor. Both are standard in charitable, medical, and legal contexts, as in blood donation and organ donor.
