VOLUNTEER

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does Volunteer mean? 

• VOLUNTEER (noun)
  The noun VOLUNTEER has 3 senses:

1. (military) a person who freely enlists for service

2. a person who performs voluntary work

3. a native or resident of Tennessee

  Familiarity information: VOLUNTEER used as a noun is uncommon.

• VOLUNTEER (adjective)
  The adjective VOLUNTEER has 1 sense:

1. without payment

  Familiarity information: VOLUNTEER used as an adjective is very rare.

• VOLUNTEER (verb)
  The verb VOLUNTEER has 3 senses:

1. tell voluntarily

2. agree freely

3. do volunteer work

  Familiarity information: VOLUNTEER used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• VOLUNTEER (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

(military) a person who freely enlists for service

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

military volunteer; voluntary; volunteer

Hypernyms ("volunteer" is a kind of...):

man; military man; military personnel; serviceman (someone who serves in the armed forces; a member of a military force)

Domain category:

armed forces; armed services; military; military machine; war machine (the military forces of a nation)

Antonym:

draftee (someone who is drafted into military service)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A person who performs voluntary work

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

unpaid worker; volunteer

Hypernyms ("volunteer" is a kind of...):

worker (a person who works at a specific occupation)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "volunteer"):

candy striper (a volunteer worker in a hospital)

pledge taker (a volunteer who records (usually by telephone) contributions pledged in a fund drive)

vigilance man; vigilante (member of a vigilance committee)

Derivation:

volunteer (do volunteer work)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A native or resident of Tennessee

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

Tennessean; Volunteer

Hypernyms ("Volunteer" is a kind of...):

American (a native or inhabitant of the United States)

• VOLUNTEER (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Without payment

Synonyms:

unpaid; volunteer

Context example:

a volunteer fire department

Similar:

voluntary (of your own free will or design; done by choice; not forced or compelled)

• VOLUNTEER (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they volunteer    ... he / she / it volunteers   
Past simple: volunteered   
Past participle: volunteered   
-ing form: volunteering   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Tell voluntarily

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Context example:

He volunteered the information

Hypernyms (to "volunteer" is one way to...):

inform (impart knowledge of some fact, state of affairs, or event to)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Sense 2

Meaning:

Agree freely

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

offer; volunteer

Context example:

I offered to help with the dishes but the hostess would not hear of it

Hypernyms (to "volunteer" is one way to...):

act; move (perform an action, or work out or perform (an action))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s to INFINITIVE

Sentence example:

They volunteer to move

Sense 3

Meaning:

Do volunteer work

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "volunteer" is one way to...):

work (exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

voluntary ((military) a person who freely enlists for service)

volunteer (a person who performs voluntary work)

 Context examples 

Some studies need volunteers with a certain disease.

(Clinical Trials, NIH: National Institutes of Health)

The researchers collected a total of nearly 600 skin samples from 12 healthy adult volunteers at 3 time points—5-10 weeks apart (“short”) and 10-30 months apart (“long”).

(Skin microbes fairly stable over time, NIH)

"It is a great pity!" Dutchy volunteered.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

In this new study, the team compared the DNA of some 14,000 people –1,622 thin volunteers, 1,985 severely obese people and a further 10,433 normal weight controls.

(Slim people have a genetic advantage when it comes to maintaining their weight, University of Cambridge)

Phase 1 studies are typically closely monitored and may be conducted in patients or normal volunteer subjects.

(phase I trial, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

I volunteered for one of the boats, where I had, of course, no business.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

The difference occurred even though meals provided to the volunteers in both the ultra-processed and minimally processed diets had the same number of calories and macronutrients.

(Heavily processed foods cause overeating and weight gain, National Institutes of Health)

In a group of healthy volunteers, the researchers showed that different brain regions that serve distinct functions have notably different power and different cost.

(Study of brain energy patterns provides new insights into alcohol effects, National Institutes of Health)

A document explaining all relevant study information to assist the study volunteer in understanding the expectations and requirements of participation in a clinical trial.

(Consent form, NCI Thesaurus)

See also subject, trial subject, healthy volunteer.

(Patient, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)