# donate

/ˈdoʊˌneɪt/ (US) · /dəʊnˈeɪt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/donate
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. to give to charity

verb · CEFR B1

to give something of value, like money or clothes, to help a charity or a person in need.

For teachers: to provide money, goods, or services to a charitable organisation or cause without expecting payment.

- Every year, the family donates their old clothes to the local shelter.
- The anonymous benefactor chose to donate a significant portion of his estate to the university's medical research department.

Usage: Usually follows the pattern 'donate something to someone/something'.

### 2. medical donation

verb · CEFR B2

to allow doctors to take your blood or an organ to help a sick person.

For teachers: to provide blood, plasma, or organs for medical use in transfusions or transplants.

- He goes to the hospital every few months to donate blood.
- The campaign encourages citizens to donate bone marrow to help patients suffering from rare blood disorders.

Usage: Commonly used with 'blood', 'organs', or 'plasma' as the direct object.

## Examples

- I donate clothes to the local charity shop every year.
- Many local businesses donate a percentage of their profits to the community food bank during the winter.
- The philanthropist chose to donate his entire private art collection to the national gallery to ensure the public could enjoy the works for generations.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.