Dictionary

volunteer en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˌvɑlənˈtɪɹ/ (Atlantic-Canada, General-American)
• /-ˈtɪɚ/ (Atlantic-Canada, General-American)
• (California) audio
• /ˌvɒl(ə)nˈtɪə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˌvɒlənˈtɪɹ/ (Canada, dialectal) of the US
• /ˌvɔlənˈtɪə/ (Australia)

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French voluntaire, from Latin voluntārius (“willing, voluntary”); or from voluntary + -eer.

Meanings

1. One who enters into, or offers themselves for, any service of their own free will, especially when done without pay.
   • The volunteers at the nature reserve meet up ever other Sunday to help its upkeep.
   • The largest age group for volunteers was 35-44, the CNCS survey said, and volunteers were most likely to be parents with children under 18. The typical volunteer may live in Utah, which ranked first in the percentage of people who said they volunteered among all 50 states and Washington, DC. 2018 July 19, Thom Patterson, “Stats reveal how many Americans volunteer and where”, in CNN, archived from the original on 05 May 2025:
2. One who enters into military service voluntarily (but who, when in service, is subject to discipline and regulations like other soldiers), as opposed to a conscript.
3. A voluntary member of the organized militia of a country, as distinguished from a regular or member of the standing army.
   • That summer and fall the Army organized twenty-five regiments of volunteers, including two black regiments, which would have all-black captains and lieutenants. All officers were to be selected from regulars and volunteers who had distinguished themselves[…] 2007 April 30, Edward M. Coffman, The Regulars: The American Army, 1898-1941, Harvard University Press, →ISBN, page 16:
4. A person who acts out of their own will without a legal obligation, such as a donor.
5. A plant that grows spontaneously, without being cultivated on purpose; see volunteer plant in Wikipedia.
6. A native or resident of the American state of Tennessee.

Forms

Deriveds

volunteeristic · volunteership · volunteerly · volunteerism · climateer · volunteer snooker · Voluntown · eco-volunteer · volunpeer · army volunteer · vollie · volunteerist · voluntourist · planeteer · voluntourism

Relateds

voluntarism · voluntarist

Translations (173)

nl vrijwilliger (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · ja 篤志家 (one who acts without legal obligation) · la volo (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · lv brīvprātīgs (one who acts without legal obligation) · ru доброво́лец (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · vi tình nguyện viên (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · th อาสาสมัคร (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · pl wolontariuszka (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · sk dobrovoľník (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · sq vullnetar (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · rsk доброволєц (voluntary soldier) · ko 지원군 (voluntary soldier) · cy gwirfoddolwr (one who acts without legal obligation) · tk meýletinçi (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · ar مُتَطَوِّعَة (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · ru волонтёр (voluntary soldier) · et vabatahtlik (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · cmn 志願者 /志愿者 (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · uk волонте́р (voluntary soldier) · ar مُتَطَوِّع (voluntary soldier) · ru доброво́лец (voluntary soldier) · be добраахво́тнік (voluntary soldier) · nrf volontaithe (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · mi kaitūao (voluntary soldier) · sh dobrovóljac (voluntary soldier) · ca voluntari (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · ar مُتَطَوِّعَة (voluntary soldier) · lv brīvprātīgais (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · nb frivillig (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · be добраахво́тнік (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · ga óglach (voluntary soldier) · ru волонтёр (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · nl vrijwilligster (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · mk доброволец (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · id sukarelawan (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · mi kaitūao (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · pt voluntário (one who acts without legal obligation) · pt voluntário (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · lv brīvprātīgs (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · lt savanoris (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · ka მოხალისე (one who acts without legal obligation) · gd neach-deònach (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · he מתנדב (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · vi thiện nguyện viên (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · sh dobrovóljac (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · vi quân tình nguyện (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · tg довталаб (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · lv brīvprātīgais (voluntary soldier) · he מתנדבת (voluntary soldier) · ro voluntar (voluntary soldier) · da frivillig (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · hi वालंटियर (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · be валанцёрка (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · fi vapaaehtoinen (voluntary soldier) · nl vrijwilliger (voluntary soldier) · az könüllü (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · ru доброво́лец (one who acts without legal obligation) · uz koʻngilli (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · la voluntārius (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · rsk волонтерка (voluntary soldier) · ar مُتَطَوِّع (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · fr volontaire (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · hy կամավոր (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · uk волонте́рка (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · rsk доброволька (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · cmn 志願者 /志愿者 (one who acts without legal obligation) · ja 志願兵 (voluntary soldier) · pl ochotnik (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · sl samosevec (volunteer plant) · ru волонтёрка (voluntary soldier) · fr volontaire (voluntary soldier) · km អ្នកស្ម័គ្រចិត្ត (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · uk волонте́р (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · gd saor-thoileach (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · fa داوْطَلَب (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · sh volòntēr (voluntary soldier) · ko 지원병 (voluntary soldier) · ja 志願者 (one who acts without legal obligation) · sh доброво́љац (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · sv frivillig (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · ka მოხალისე (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · pl żołnierz ochotniczy (voluntary soldier) · vi người tình nguyện (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · be валанцёр (voluntary soldier) · rsk волонтер (voluntary soldier) · gd saor-thoileach (voluntary soldier) · he מתנדב (voluntary soldier) · ka მოხალისე (voluntary soldier) · ro voluntară (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · ro voluntar (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · tr gönüllü (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · lt savanorė (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · de Freiwillige (voluntary soldier) · sh доброво́љац (voluntary soldier) · cy gwirfoddolwr (voluntary soldier) · my စေတနာ့ဝန်ထမ်း (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · sl prostovoljka (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · ru доброво́лица (voluntary soldier) · hi स्वयंसेवक (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · fr bénévole (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · de Ehrenamtlicher (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · ms volenter (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · pl samosiejka (volunteer plant) · fi villikasvi (volunteer plant) · uk доброво́лець (voluntary soldier) · lo ຜູ້ອາສາສະໝັກ (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · cs dobrovolník (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · hu önkéntes (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · ja 義勇兵 (voluntary soldier) · be добраахво́тніца (voluntary soldier) · be валанцёрка (voluntary soldier) · uk доброво́лиця (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · es voluntario (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · mel volentir (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · ru доброво́лица (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · uk доброво́лець (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · bg доброво́лец (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · is sjálfboðaliði (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · he מתנדבת (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · gd saor-thoileach (one who acts without legal obligation) · cy gwirfoddolwr (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · kk ерікті (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · pt voluntário (voluntary soldier) · pl ochotnik (one who acts without legal obligation) · vi người thiện nguyện (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · ar مُتَطَوِّع (one who acts without legal obligation) · fi vapaaehtoinen (one who acts without legal obligation) · ru волонтёрка (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · mk волонте́р (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · pl wolontariusz (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · de Freiwilliger (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · pl ochotniczka (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · lv brīvprātīgais (one who acts without legal obligation) · ug پىدائىي (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · ja 有志 (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · ms sukarelawan (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · el εθελοντής (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · ko 의용병 (voluntary soldier) · ko 지원자 (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · sl prostovoljec (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · de Ehrenamtliche (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · de Freiwillige (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · ur رَضا کار (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · be валанцёр (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · sh воло̀нте̄р (voluntary soldier) · it volontaria (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · id pekerja sukarela (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · ky ыктыярчы (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · id sukarelawati (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · bg доброво́лец (voluntary soldier) · sk dobrovoľníčka (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · rsk доброволєц (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · be добраахво́тніца (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · bo དྭང་བླངས་བྱེད་མཁན (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · ja ボランティア (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · it volontario (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · uk волонте́рка (voluntary soldier) · bg диворастящ (volunteer plant) · pl ochotniczka (one who acts without legal obligation) · rsk доброволька (voluntary soldier) · cmn 志願兵 /志愿兵 (voluntary soldier) · de Freiwilliger (voluntary soldier) · ur والَنْٹِیَر (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · uk доброво́лиця (voluntary soldier) · fi vapaaehtoinen (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · ba ирекмән (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · rsk волонтерка (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · ko 볼런티어 (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · rsk волонтер (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · sl samosevka (volunteer plant) · ja 自生植物 (volunteer plant) · cs dobrovolnice (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service) · sv volontär (one who voluntarily offers themselves for service)

volunteer en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˌvɑlənˈtɪɹ/ (Atlantic-Canada, General-American)
• /-ˈtɪɚ/ (Atlantic-Canada, General-American)
• (California) audio
• /ˌvɒl(ə)nˈtɪə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˌvɒlənˈtɪɹ/ (Canada, dialectal) of the US
• /ˌvɔlənˈtɪə/ (Australia)

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French voluntaire, from Latin voluntārius (“willing, voluntary”); or from voluntary + -eer.

Meanings

1. (intransitive) To enlist oneself as a volunteer.
2. (ambitransitive) To do or offer to do something voluntarily.
   • to volunteer for doing the dishes
   • Miranda: No good. Both routes are blocked. See these doors? The only way past is to get someone to open them from the other side. Shepard: It's not a fortress; there's got to be something. Here, maybe we can send someone in through this ventilation shaft. Jacob: Practically a suicide mission. I volunteer. Miranda: I appreciate the thought, Jacob, but you couldn't shut down the security systems in time. We need to send a tech expert. 2010, BioWare, Mass Effect 2 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Normandy SR-2:
   • The typical volunteer may live in Utah, which ranked first in the percentage of people who said they volunteered among all 50 states and Washington, DC. […] The median amount of time per year spent volunteering was 52 hours. 2018 July 19, Thom Patterson, “Stats reveal how many Americans volunteer and where”, in CNN, archived from the original on 05 May 2025:
3. (transitive) To offer, usually unprompted.
   • to volunteer an explanation
4. (informal, transitive) To offer the services of (someone else) to do something.
   • My sister volunteered me to do the dishes.
5. (intransitive) To grow without human sowing or intentional cultivation.

Forms

Deriveds

voluntell · I volunteer as tribute · volunteering · revolunteer · unvolunteer

Translations (72)

cy gwirfoddoli (to enlist oneself as a volunteer) · es avoluntariarse (to enlist oneself as a volunteer) · es envoluntariarse (to enlist oneself as a volunteer) · hu vállalkozik (to do or offer to do something voluntarily) · pl wtrącać swoje trzy grosze (to offer, usually unprompted) · fi kasvaa villinä (botany: to grow without cultivation) · pl zgłaszać się na ochotnika (to do or offer to do something voluntarily) · he התנדבה (to enlist oneself as a volunteer) · hu felajánl (ja a segítségét) (to do or offer to do something voluntarily) · hu ajánl (to offer the services of (someone else) to do something) · pl zaciągać się (to enlist oneself as a volunteer) · pl zgłaszać na ochotnika (to offer the services of (someone else) to do something) · km ស្ម័គ្រចិត្ត (to do or offer to do something voluntarily) · sv frivilligarbeta (to enlist oneself as a volunteer) · he התנדבה (to do or offer to do something voluntarily) · lo ສະຫມັກ (to do or offer to do something voluntarily) · cy gwirfoddoli (to do or offer to do something voluntarily) · hu vállal (to do or offer to do something voluntarily) · fr se porter volontaire (to enlist oneself as a volunteer) · he התנדב (to do or offer to do something voluntarily) · pl rosnąć dziko (botany: to grow without cultivation) · sv volontera (to enlist oneself as a volunteer) · fi tarjoutua vapaaehtoiseksi (to do or offer to do something voluntarily) · gl saír voluntario (to enlist oneself as a volunteer) · it offrirsi volontario (to enlist oneself as a volunteer) · sv volontärarbeta (to enlist oneself as a volunteer) · es ofrecerse (to do or offer to do something voluntarily) · hu önkénteskedik (to do or offer to do something voluntarily) · fr être volontaire (to do or offer to do something voluntarily) · it offrirsi (to enlist oneself as a volunteer) · es envoluntariar (to offer the services of (someone else) to do something) · fi tehdä vapaaehtoisesti (to do or offer to do something voluntarily) · pl zgłosić się na ochotnika (to do or offer to do something voluntarily) · gl presentarse voluntario (to enlist oneself as a volunteer) · es voluntariar (to offer the services of (someone else) to do something) · vi đi thiện nguyện (to enlist oneself as a volunteer) · es acomedirse (to do or offer to do something voluntarily) · nl vrijwilligen (to enlist oneself as a volunteer) · fr être bénévole (to do or offer to do something voluntarily) · cmn 自願 /自愿 (to enlist oneself as a volunteer) · az könüllü yazılmaq (to enlist oneself as a volunteer) · pl wtrącić swoje trzy grosze (to offer, usually unprompted) · ja 自生する (botany: to grow without cultivation) · cmn 自告奮勇 /自告奋勇 (to do or offer to do something voluntarily) · de anbieten (to do or offer to do something voluntarily) · es voluntariarse (to enlist oneself as a volunteer) · bo དྭང་བླངས་བྱས (to do or offer to do something voluntarily) · pl zaoferować się (to do or offer to do something voluntarily) · pl zaciągnąć się (to enlist oneself as a volunteer) · pl urosnąć dziko (botany: to grow without cultivation) · ja 志願する (to enlist oneself as a volunteer) · de sich anbieten (to do or offer to do something voluntarily) · bo དྭང་བླངས་བྱས (to enlist oneself as a volunteer) · es prestarse (to do or offer to do something voluntarily) · vi đi tình nguyện (to enlist oneself as a volunteer) · ja 志願する (to do or offer to do something voluntarily) · pl zgłosić na ochotnika (to offer the services of (someone else) to do something) · mi tūao (to do or offer to do something voluntarily) · fi ilmoittautua vapaaehtoiseksi (to enlist oneself as a volunteer) · hu javasol (to offer the services of (someone else) to do something) · pl zaoferować (to offer the services of (someone else) to do something) · pl oferować (to offer the services of (someone else) to do something) · lo ສະໝັກ (to do or offer to do something voluntarily) · es comedirse (to do or offer to do something voluntarily) · nl vrijwilligen (to do or offer to do something voluntarily) · hu kérdezés nélkül / kéretlenül mond/hozzátesz (to offer, usually unprompted) · de sich freiwillig melden (to enlist oneself as a volunteer) · he התנדב (to enlist oneself as a volunteer) · bg постъпвам доброволец (to enlist oneself as a volunteer) · es avoluntariar (to offer the services of (someone else) to do something) · vi tình nguyện (to do or offer to do something voluntarily) · pl oferować się (to do or offer to do something voluntarily)