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Webster's New World College Dictionary » volunteer
volunteer
volunteer definition
vol·un·teer (väl′ən tir′)
noun
- a person who chooses freely to do or offer to do something
- a person who chooses freely to enter naval or military service, without being compelled to do so by law
- Bot. a volunteer plant
- Law
- a person who chooses freely to enter into any transaction with no promise of compensation
- a person to whom property is transferred without valuable consideration
Etymology: earlier voluntier < obs. Fr voluntaire < L (miles)voluntarius, voluntary (soldier)
adjective
- composed of volunteers, as an army
- serving as a volunteer, usually without compensation
- of a volunteer or volunteers
- Bot. growing from seed that has fallen naturally to the ground, not planted by a person
transitive verb
to freely choose to offer or give without being asked or obliged
intransitive verb
to freely choose to enter or offer to enter into any service; enlist
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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