Volunteer Meaning
/ˌvɒl(ə)nˈtɪə/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounOne who enters into, or offers themselves for, any service of their own free will, especially when done without pay.
nounOne 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.
Sentence Examples
Others engage in volunteer work.
The volunteer group provides war victims with food and medicine.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
The hospital needs a ____ to help in the children's ward every weekend.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She works as a ____ at the local library, helping the staff to organize several old books every week today.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from Middle French voluntaire, from Latin voluntārius (“willing, voluntary”); or from voluntary + -eer.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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:
"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:
"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:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The hospital needs a ____ to help in the children's ward every weekend.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She works as a ____ at the local library, helping the staff to organize several old books every week today.