English Reference

Word

volunteer

Phoneticsvol·un·teer

US/ˌvɑɫənˈtɪɹ/

UK/vˌɒləntˈiə/

Definitions

01unpaid worker

B1

n. someone who does a job or helps others because they want to, without being paid.

n. a person who performs a service willingly and without financial compensation.

“The local library relies on volunteers to help organize the books every weekend.”

“The charity is seeking volunteers to assist with the distribution of emergency supplies in the affected regions.”

Synonyms

helperunpaid worker

02military

B2 · Military

n. a person who joins the army because they want to, not because the law forces them to.

n. an individual who enters military service of their own volition rather than through conscription.

“He joined the army as a volunteer before the draft even started.”

“Historically, the regiment was composed entirely of volunteers who provided their own equipment and horses.”

Synonyms

enlistee

Antonyms

conscriptdraftee

03botany

C2 · Science

n. a plant that grows on its own without a person planting it there.

n. a plant that grows spontaneously in a garden or field from self-sown seed rather than being intentionally cultivated.

“That tomato plant in the middle of the path is just a volunteer from last year.”

“The farmer decided to leave the volunteer sunflowers growing among the soy crops as they didn't interfere with the harvest.”

Technical

Synonyms

self-sown plant

Antonyms

cropcultivar

04to offer help

B1

v. to offer to do something without being asked or forced.

v. to offer oneself or one's services for a task or mission spontaneously.

“I decided to volunteer for the clean-up crew after the school festival.”

“Several staff members volunteered to work through the weekend to ensure the project met its Monday deadline.”

Synonyms

Antonyms

05to give information

B2

v. to give information or an opinion without being asked for it.

v. to provide information, an excuse, or an idea unprompted.

“She volunteered the information about the missing keys before the manager even asked.”

“During the interview, the candidate volunteered several details about his previous experience that weren't included in his CV.”

Synonyms

proffersubmit

Antonyms

06to sign someone else up

B2

v. to suggest that someone else should do a task, often without asking them first.

v. to nominate another person for a task or duty, typically in an informal or humorous context.

“My brother volunteered me to drive everyone to the airport at 4:00 AM.”

“The department head jokingly volunteered his deputy to lead the committee, much to the latter's surprise.”

Informal · Humorous

Synonyms

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French voluntaire, from Latin voluntārius (“willing, voluntary”); or from voluntary + -eer.

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

Word family

Idioms

army volunteer — To make someone perform a task or duty, especially one they are not prepared or willing to do.

Domains

AgricultureBotanyLawMilitary

This entry

Level
B1 · Intermediate
Frequency
Common
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/volunteer

English Reference