volunteer

Meaning

Noun

1. One who enters into, or offers themselves for, any service of their own free will, especially when done without pay.
2. One who enters into military service voluntarily (but who, when in service, is subject to discipline and regulations like other soldiers), as opposed to a conscript.
3. A voluntary member of the organized militia of a country, as distinguished from a regular or member of the standing army.
4. A person who acts out of their own will without a legal obligation, such as a donor.
5. A plant that grows spontaneously, without being cultivated on purpose; see volunteer plant in Wikipedia.
6. A native or resident of the American state of Tennessee.

Verb

1. (intransitive) To enlist oneself as a volunteer.
2. (ambitransitive) To do or offer to do something voluntarily.
3. (transitive) To offer, usually unprompted.
4. (informal, transitive) To offer the services of (someone else) to do something.
5. (intransitive) To grow without human sowing or intentional cultivation.

Synonyms

offer

voluntary

unpaid worker

unpaid

willing

enlist

step forward

appear

interested person

be willing to

sympathizer

military volunteer

indicate

patriotic

purvey

render

serve up

spontaneous

suggest

sympathiser

tender

treat

uncoerced

underquote

unforced

volunteering

by-bid

re-enlist

self-sacrificing person

undertake a challenge

volunteer troop

like volunteer

offer oneself for

zealous patriot

afford

ship over

apply

approach

arise

bid

come forward

develop

efficient

ex gratia

extend

facultative

helpmate

Translations

volontaire

volontario

voluntario

vrijwilliger

voluntário

bénévole

Freiwilliger

εθελοντής

voluntari

Freiwillige

متطوع

volontair

Volontär

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˌvɒl(ə)nˈtɪə/

Etymology

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