ENGLISH
REFERENCE

contribute to sth

phr. v..
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford

phr. v.. to help cause something to happen or to give something, like money or ideas, to a group project.

phr. v.. to be one of the causes of an event or result; to provide a portion of money, time, or effort toward a collective goal.


SIMPLE

Smoking can contribute to serious health problems.

CONTEXTUAL

Every member of the team must contribute to the final report to ensure its success.

COMPLEX

Several factors, including rising interest rates and low consumer confidence, contribute to the current economic downturn.

Particles
to
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
contribute + to + object
Usage

the object is usually the result being caused or the project being supported.

Teaching tip

highlight that 'contribute' is often followed by the preposition 'to'; it can describe both positive help and negative causes.

Pitfall

He contributed the project.He contributed to the project.the preposition 'to' is necessary when describing the goal or result being helped.

© 2026 English Reference