Contribute Meaning
/kənˈt(ʃ)ɹɪb.juːt/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo give something that is or becomes part of a larger whole.
Sentence Examples
The construction of a highway will contribute to the growth of the suburbs.
Science and art must contribute to the promotion of human welfare.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Each family agreed to ____ money toward the community garden project fund.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The construction of a highway will ____ to the growth of the suburbs.
Word Origin & History
PIE word *tréyes From Latin contribūtus, perfect passive participle of contribuō (“to bring together; to unite”), from con- (“together”) + tribuō (“to bestow”), from tribus (“tribe”), derived from trēs (“three”), from Proto-Italic *trēs, from Proto-Indo-European *tréyes.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"That principle carried out consistently and logically, makes the individual not a claimant upon society, but a benefiter of it. He contributes whatever talent, natural or acquired, he may have, cheerfully to the promotion of the common good, […]"
— 1849, William Scott, Francis Garden, James Bowling Mozley, The Christian Remembrancer, volume 17, page 217:
"Rivera retired the next three batters in order, with third baseman Alex Rodriguez contributing a nifty barehand pickup and throw on Julio Lugo’s roller."
— 2007 April 29, Pat Borzi, “Normalcy Returns: Rivera Gets First Save”, in The New York Times:
"Bats host many high-profile viruses that can infect humans, including severe acute respiratory syndrome and Ebola. A recent study explored the ecological variables that may contribute to bats’ propensity to harbor such zoonotic diseases by comparing them with another order of common reservoir hosts: rodents."
— 2013 May-June, Katie L. Burke, “In the News”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, page 193:
"Lifetime ARPU, or the average revenue contributed per user over the lifetime of a product, can provide some insight into the habits of a large group of users within the product."
— 2013, Eric Benjamin Seufert, Freemium Economics: Leveraging Analytics and User Segmentation to Drive Revenue, Elsevier, →ISBN, page 94:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
Each family agreed to ____ money toward the community garden project fund.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The construction of a highway will ____ to the growth of the suburbs.