donate
- 01 B1 Intermediate
to give something of value, like money or clothes, to help a charity or a person in need.
to provide money, goods, or services to a charitable organisation or cause without expecting payment.
Simple“Every year, the family donates their old clothes to the local shelter.”
In context“The anonymous benefactor chose to donate a significant portion of his estate to the university's medical research department.”
UsageUsually follows the pattern 'donate something to someone/something'.
PitfallHe donated the charity some money. He donated some money to the charity.Unlike 'give', 'donate' cannot take an indirect object directly. You must donate 'something TO someone'.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
to allow doctors to take your blood or an organ to help a sick person.
to provide blood, plasma, or organs for medical use in transfusions or transplants.
Simple“He goes to the hospital every few months to donate blood.”
In context“The campaign encourages citizens to donate bone marrow to help patients suffering from rare blood disorders.”
UsageCommonly used with 'blood', 'organs', or 'plasma' as the direct object.
Circa 1845, back-formation from donation on the basis of -ate (verb-forming suffix), chiefly found in American English. Ultimately from Latin dōnāre (“to give”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.