contribute

verb

Saykuhn-TRIB-yoot/kənˈtɹɪb.jut//kənˈt(ʃ)ɹɪb.juːt/AUSkuhn-TRIB-yuht/kənˈtɹɪb.jət/

Formscontributes, contributing, contributed

1 meaning of contribute

Practice

1
verbtransitive or intransitive
To give something that is or becomes part of a larger whole, such as money, effort, or ideas.
Volunteers contribute their weekends to keep the food bank running.
Her early research contributed a great deal to our understanding of the disease.
Similargive, donate, add, provide, offer
Oppositewithhold, take

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Origin

From Latin contribūtus, the past participle of contribuō ("to bring together; to unite"), formed from con- ("together") and tribuō ("to bestow"). Tribuō comes from tribus ("tribe"), which derives from trēs ("three"), tracing back through Proto-Italic *trēs to Proto-Indo-European *tréyes.