volunteering

IPA/ˌvɒl.ənˈtɪər/
KK[vˌɔləntˈɪrɪŋ]IPA/ˌvɑː.lənˈtɪr/

volunteering — verb

  • volunteeringpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • volunteerings3rd person singular
  • volunteeringing-ing form
  • volunteeringedpast simple

1. to choose freely to do a job or task, especially one that helps other people, wi

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to choose freely to do a job or task, especially one that helps other people, without expecting payment and without being forced or officially required to do it

Example

Vivek started volunteering at the local animal shelter every Saturday.

start + gerund: start volunteering

The company encourages its staff to volunteer for community projects during work hours.

collocation: volunteer for [project/initiative]

Common collocations
  • volunteer for
  • volunteer as
  • volunteer time
  • volunteer help
  • volunteer services
  • volunteer to help
Synonyms
  • offer

    more general; can apply to money, goods, or help, not just unpaid service

  • step forward

    phrasal verb, implies coming out from a group to offer help

  • sign up

    implies registering or enrolling, often through a formal process

Antonyms
  • refuse

    to decline to do something when asked

  • be forced

    to do something under compulsion rather than by choice

Grammar Patterns

volunteer + to-infinitive

volunteer + for/as + noun phrase

volunteer + time/help/services

Usage Note

This sense is often followed by a to-infinitive (volunteer to do something) or by the prepositions for/as when naming the activity or role. When used transitively, the object is typically time, help, or a service — not money or goods.

Common Mistakes

I volunteered money to the charity.
I donated money to the charity.
'volunteer' refers to giving your time, effort, or labour, not money or physical goods.
She volunteered for help at the event.
She volunteered to help at the event.' OR 'She volunteered for the event.
after 'volunteer', use a to-infinitive for the action or 'for' + noun for the event/role.

2. to give information, an opinion, a suggestion, or an answer without being asked

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to give information, an opinion, a suggestion, or an answer without being asked or prompted to do so

Example

The witness volunteered a crucial detail that the police had not yet discovered.

volunteer + direct object (information)

No one asked him, but Christopher volunteered his thoughts on the budget plan anyway.

Common collocations
  • volunteer information
  • volunteer details
  • volunteer an opinion
  • volunteer an answer
  • volunteer a suggestion
Synonyms
  • offer

    broader; can be about goods, services, or information

  • divulge

    more formal; implies revealing something that might be private

  • provide

    neutral; does not carry the 'unsolicited' implication

Antonyms
  • withhold

    to keep information back deliberately

  • conceal

    to hide information on purpose

Grammar Patterns

volunteer + information/details/opinion/answer

volunteer + that-clause

Usage Note

This sense is always transitive and typically takes a direct object such as information, a detail, an opinion, an answer, or a name. Unlike sense 1, it cannot be used with for/as or a to-infinitive.

Common Mistakes

She volunteered to the question.
She volunteered an answer to the question.
this sense needs a direct object; you cannot use just a prepositional phrase.
He volunteered that he saw the accident.
acceptable
a that-clause can follow, e.g., 'He volunteered that he had seen the car leave.'

volunteering — noun

volunteering — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Volunteer, offer, donate, and contribute all describe giving something, but they differ in what is given and the context. Volunteer specifically means giving your time, effort, or labour without pay — for example, volunteering to coach a children's sports team. Offer is the most general word, covering anything from help to goods to opinions: you can offer a seat, a suggestion, or a reward. Donate is reserved for giving money or physical goods to a cause or organisation: you donate clothes to a charity shop or donate money to a disaster fund. Contribute is broader still; you can contribute money, ideas, time, or effort as part of a shared goal, and the contribution may be paid or unpaid. Use volunteer when the defining feature is unpaid, freely chosen service; use donate when money or goods change hands; use contribute when the focus is on playing a part in a collective outcome; and use offer when no payment or obligation nuance is needed.

volunteer ↗offer ↗donate ↗contribute ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • volunteer to do something
  • volunteer for a cause
  • volunteer one's time

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'volunteer' comes from the Latin 'voluntarius', meaning 'willing, of one's own free will', which passed into French as 'volontaire' and then into English in the early 1600s. It was first used in a military context to describe someone who enlisted freely, rather than being conscripted. By the 1700s it had broadened to include anyone who offered to do work without pay. The gerund form 'volunteering' emerged as the name for the activity itself.

First known use

1618

1618, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Verb