English Reference
noun

donor

n.
US /ˈdoʊnɝ/ UK /dˈəʊnɐ/ donor UK spelling donors

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate

    a person or organisation that gives money, food, or clothes to help others, or someone who gives blood or an organ to a hospital.

    an individual or entity that contributes money, goods, or biological material (such as blood or organs) to a recipient or institution.

    Simple

    The charity thanked every donor who gave money to the new school project.

    In context

    The hospital launched an urgent appeal for blood donors to ensure they had enough supplies for the upcoming holiday weekend.

  2. 02 C1 Advanced Technical Science

    a molecule or group of atoms that gives a part of itself to another during a chemical reaction.

    an atom, molecule, or ion that provides a particle (such as an electron or proton) to an acceptor during a chemical process.

    Simple

    In this reaction, the first molecule acts as the electron donor.

    In context

    The efficiency of the solar cell depends on how effectively the electron donor transfers its charge to the acceptor material.

  3. 03 C1 Advanced Informal

    an old machine or car used to provide parts to fix a better one.

    an object, often a vehicle or electronic device, that is sacrificed to provide functional components for the repair of another unit.

    Simple

    He bought a cheap donor car just to get the engine for his project.

    In context

    The technician kept several broken laptops in the back room to serve as donors for screens and keyboards.

Susan Ferguson, UN Women’s special representative in Afghanistan, appealed to donor countries on Friday not to cut funding for women’s programmes, saying to do so would only deepen the suffering of Afghan women.

Al Jazeera· 15 Aug 2026

At some collection points in Cali, people eventually began asking donors to stop sending certain items and redirect help to places where it was more urgently needed.

UN News· 13 Aug 2026

From Middle English donoure, donour; from Anglo-Norman donour, from Old French doneur (See French donneur).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Old French doneur
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Frequent
Updated