volunteer Hear it!

volunteer Definition

vol·un·teer (väl′ən tir′)

noun

  1. a person who chooses freely to do or offer to do something
  2. a person who chooses freely to enter naval or military service, without being compelled to do so by law
  3. Bot. a volunteer plant
  4. Law
    1. a person who chooses freely to enter into any transaction with no promise of compensation
    2. a person to whom property is transferred without valuable consideration

Etymology: earlier voluntier < obs. Fr voluntaire < L (miles)voluntarius, voluntary (soldier)

adjective

  1. composed of volunteers, as an army
  2. serving as a volunteer, usually without compensation
  3. of a volunteer or volunteers
  4. 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

volunteer Synonyms

volunteer

n.

enlistee, enlisted man, voluntary soldier, unpaid worker, charity worker, missionary, aide.

volunteer Synonyms

volunteer

v.

  1. To make a proposal

    suggest, offer, bring forward; see propose 1.

  2. To offer one's services

    come forward, enlist, sign up, submit oneself, avoid conscription, take the initiative, present oneself, offer oneself, do on one's own volition, do of one's own free will, do on one's own authority, take the initiative, take upon oneself, speak up, stand up and be counted, go in*, chip in*, do on one's own hook*, take the bull by the horns*, stand on one's own feet*, take the bit between one's teeth*, paddle one's own canoe*, take the plunge*; see also join 2.

volunteer Usage Examples

Object

  • opportunity: Volunteering opportunities can be short or long term with varying levels of responsibility.
  • volunteering: Volunteering Volunteering can be an ideal way of moving toward paid employment, as well as being a rewarding end in itself.

Converse of object

  • recruit: Recruiting new volunteers Your publicity should aim to: Let people know you exist.
  • require: More than 80 volunteering organizations from across the UK have signed a pledge to deliver the 70,000 volunteers required for the Games.
  • train: These will provide mutual longer term support for parents train volunteers to work with the parents of bereaved children.
  • involve: Early testing involved volunteers who had small cuts made on their arms, which were then treated.

Adjective modifier

  • trained: Running a network of trained volunteers who provide local support to members.
  • unpaid: Subscriptions are kept as low as possible and all club officers are unpaid volunteers.
  • healthy: Phase I trials The first human studies usually involve healthy volunteers.
  • enthusiastic: Please note that we cannot pay you, but there are many benefits for enthusiastic volunteers!
  • willing: Your puppy will learn a great deal quicker if you can enlist the help of some willing volunteers.
  • prospective: An introductory meeting for prospective volunteers will take place at the YMCA on December 6 at 7pm.

Modifies a noun

  • bureau: The guide is available on the volunteer bureau 's website.
  • helper: The business employs eight people and also has a number of volunteer helpers.
  • mentor: The Initiative and its network has found volunteer mentors for over 1,400 16-21 year olds leaving care.
  • co-ordinator: She has volunteered at numerous events including being the volunteer co-ordinator at Durham Sport Youth Games 2003.
  • counselor: She helps run a team of 22 volunteer counselors who are trained at Trinity in the skills of bereavement support.
  • U.K.: All of our Memorandum and Articles of Associations and Partnership Agreements were reviewed and approved by a volunteer U.K. lawyer.

Noun used with modifier

  • IRA: Farmhouses were a vital base for food and rest for IRA volunteers on active service.
  • conservation: For the more energetic why not think of becoming a conservation volunteer?