Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A person who performs or offers to perform a service voluntarily.
- noun A person who chooses to enter a branch of the military without being drafted or forced to do so by law.
- noun Law A person who works without pay or assumes an obligation to which he or she is not a party or otherwise interested.
- noun Botany A cultivated plant growing from self-sown or accidentally dropped seed.
- adjective Being, consisting of, or done by volunteers.
- adjective Botany Growing from self-sown or accidentally dropped seed. Used of a cultivated plant or crop.
- intransitive verb To give or offer to give voluntarily.
- intransitive verb Informal To compel (someone) to do something.
- intransitive verb To perform or offer to perform a service of one's own free will.
- intransitive verb To choose to enter military service of one's own free will.
- intransitive verb To do charitable or helpful work without pay.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In horticulture, a plant that comes up of itself from naturally scattered seed, in distinction from one that comes from sowing by the horticulturist.
- To offer, contribute, or bestow voluntarily, or without constraint or compulsion.
- To enter into any service of one's free will, without constraint or compulsion: as, to
volunteer for a campaign - noun A person who enters into any service of his own free will.
- noun A person who enters military service of his own free will, and not by constraint or compulsion; one who offers to serve, and generally receives some consideration or privileges on that account; in the United States, especially during the civil war, a soldier of a body other than the regular army, but practically governed by the same laws when in service.
- noun In law, one who claims the benefit of a contract or conveyance although no consideration proceeded from him nor from any one in whose place he stands.
- noun A tree which grows spontaneously: as, that pear-tree in my garden is a volunteer.
- Entering into military service by free will and choice: as, a volunteer soldier.
- Composed of volunteers: as, a volunteer corps.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Of or pertaining to a volunteer or volunteers; consisting of volunteers; voluntary
- noun One who enters into, or offers for, any service of his own free will.
- noun (Mil.) One who enters into service voluntarily, but who, when in service, is subject to discipline and regulations like other soldiers; -- opposed to
conscript ; specifically, a voluntary member of the organized militia of a country as distinguished from the standing army. - noun (Law) A grantee in a voluntary conveyance; one to whom a conveyance is made without valuable consideration; a party, other than a wife or child of the grantor, to whom, or for whose benefit, a voluntary conveyance is made.
- transitive verb To offer or bestow voluntarily, or without solicitation or compulsion.
- intransitive verb To enter into, or offer for, any service of one's own free will, without solicitation or compulsion.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun One who enters into, or offers for, any
service of his/her own free will, especially when done without pay. - noun military One who enters into military service voluntarily, but who, when in service, is subject to discipline and regulations like other soldiers; -- opposed to
conscript ; specifically, a voluntary member of the organized militia of a country as distinguished from the standing army. - noun law A person who acts out of his own will without a legal obligation, such as a donor.
- noun botany A plant that grows in disturbed soil.
- noun A native or resident of the American state of
Tennessee . - verb intransitive To enlist oneself as a volunteer.
- verb transitive To do or offer to do something voluntarily.
- verb intransitive, botany To grow without human sowing or intentional cultivation.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a person who performs voluntary work
- adjective without payment
- verb tell voluntarily
- noun (military) a person who freely enlists for service
- verb agree freely
- verb do volunteer work
- noun a native or resident of Tennessee
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Part of the difficulties seem to stem from the fact that as an army sponsored organization, there are a lot of rules that an FRG needs to adhere to, and frankly, there is no way to hold volunteers accountable, and most will balk at the rediculous restrictions. ok, so I have to fill out how many dozen forms to _volunteer_ my time, including several on a continuing basis every time I do some volunteer work?
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We advise against using the term "volunteer," and some people like the term "pro bono" especially in the legal field, where it is common.
Kristin Maschka: Resume Advice After a Career Break: An Interview With iRelaunch Kristin Maschka 2011
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At the most basic level this means encouraging their education by listening to them read every day. mickinlondon, I believe the term 'volunteer' signifies that they are not getting paid to work.
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Gary, London, England, 06/06/2011 14:58 mickinlondon, I believe the term 'volunteer' signifies that they are not getting paid to work.
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Gary, London, England, 06/06/2011 14:58 mickinlondon, I believe the term 'volunteer' signifies that they are not getting paid to work.
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Alec Allison, London, 06/06/2011 15:18 mickinlondon, I believe the term 'volunteer' signifies that they are not getting paid to work.
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At the most basic level this means encouraging their education by listening to them read every day. mickinlondon, I believe the term 'volunteer' signifies that they are not getting paid to work.
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The term "volunteer" is used loosely; following in the grand tradition of mildly pervy prestidigitators, Wuthergloom/Woolfe has a tendency to select the most attractive, young women in attendance to participate.
The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed J. Kelly Nestruck 2011
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Alec Allison, London, 06/06/2011 15:18 mickinlondon, I believe the term 'volunteer' signifies that they are not getting paid to work.
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I grew up with the word "volunteer" as a very powerful word in my family.
Avital Binshtock: More Than a Desperate Housewife, Eva Longoria Talks Activism Avital Binshtock 2011
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