volunteernoun [ C ]
uk/ˌvɒl.ənˈtɪər/us/ˌvɑː.lənˈtɪr/B2 a person who does something, especially helping other people, willingly and without being forced or paid to do it:
The Health clinic is relying on volunteers to run the office and answer the phones.
Since it would be a highly dangerous mission, the Lieutenant asked for volunteers.
It's a volunteer army with no paid professionals.
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- As a volunteer on the childcare project, I really saw life.
- He emphasized that all the people taking part in the research were volunteers.
- We're saving money by using volunteers.
- She placed her name on the list of volunteers.
- Charities such as Oxfam are always trying to recruit volunteers to help in their work.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Organizations - charities
- aid
- alms
- benevolent society
- button day
- charitable
- charity begins at home idiom
- debt relief
- flag day
- food bank
- foreign aid
- foundation
- friend
- fundraising
- non-profit
- non-profit-making
- Oxfam
- pearly king/queen
- the Red Crescent
- the Red Cross
- voluntary
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Freedom to act
volunteerverb
uk/ˌvɒl.ənˈtɪər/us/ˌvɑː.lənˈtɪr/C1 [ I or T ] to offer to do something that you do not have to do, often without having been asked to do it and/or without expecting payment:
[ + to infinitive ] During the emergency many staff volunteered to work through the weekend.
He volunteered for the army (= he joined even though he did not have to).
I volunteered myself for the position of Health and Safety Representative.
humorous My friends volunteered me to do the talking.
[ T ] to give information without being asked:
If I were you, I wouldn't volunteer any details of what happened.
[ + speech ] "I saw her going out of the main entrance half an hour ago," he volunteered.
More examples
- You can accuse me of cowardice, but I still wouldn't volunteer to fight in a war.
- I volunteered to do the washing up.
- Many women volunteered to work as nurses in the war.
- Did anybody volunteer to tidy up?
- They all volunteered to help with the digging.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Accepting & agreeing
- accept
- accredited
- assent
- be ruled by sb idiom
- buy-in
- conclude
- countenance
- court
- embrace
- gauntlet
- leap
- listen to reason idiom
- middle ground
- mustn't grumble idiom
- pounce
- reach
- signatory
- swallow
- take sb up on sth
- unquestioning
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Saying & uttering