volunteering

verb

present participle of volunteer
as in donating
to make a present of trained tax consultants who volunteer their services at tax time

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of volunteering Menna was volunteering with a drama program at Saint Joseph Catholic School on May 6 when a storm moved in. — Joshua Cole, CBS News, 30 June 2026 Another is a nurse who transitions from hospital shifts to part-time caregiving, art classes, fishing, church choir, and volunteering at a community garden. — Wes Moss, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026 Today, Kober enjoys volunteering at his local community center, as well as making marquetry bookmarks and Viking chess boards. — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 4 July 2026 Bonda was volunteering at art classes set up by French expat Bernard Brunon and his American expat wife Nancy Ganucheau. — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2026 The findings suggest that while political divisions remain a defining feature of American life, many people are still open to celebrating, volunteering and engaging with those who hold opposing views. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 4 July 2026 Spending time with family and friends, participating in community activities, working, volunteering, pursuing hobbies and continuing to learn new skills all help keep the brain active. — Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 6 July 2026 In practice, this involves building a supportive employee culture, promoting physical activity, offering volunteering initiatives and encouraging people to look out for others and prioritize safety. — Sam Forsdick, Fortune, 1 July 2026 Love and empathy Dog School started in 2009, when former schoolteacher Adrienne Olivier was volunteering at a local animal shelter and conducting outreach activities in schools and other community spaces. — Patricia Huon, Christian Science Monitor, 30 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for volunteering
  1. donating
  2. giving
  3. contributing
Verb
  • In Pasadena, Amara Cafe owner Amara Barroeta committed to donating 70% of Tuesday’s profits to Global Giving, a nonprofit organization delivering emergency food, clean water, medical supplies, shelter and lifesaving aid in Venezuela.
    — Melody Xu, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
  • As temperatures climbed into the 90s, with the heat index soaring even higher, a local restaurant owner stepped up to help, donating dozens of air conditioners to residents struggling to stay cool.
    — Charlie De Mar, CBS News, 30 June 2026
Definition of donating
Verb
  • The Athletics beat the Dodgers 7-1 on Wednesday night, giving the West Sacramento team its only win of the series with the Dodgers, winners of the past two World Series, failing to secure a three-game sweep.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2026
  • Another prohibits giving lectures in public parks without city permission.
    — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of giving
Verb
  • Bright Eyes members Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott also appear, with Mogis mixing and Walcott contributing trumpet.
    — Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 6 July 2026
  • Before that, Becca was a staff writer at The Week, primarily contributing to Speed Reads.
    — Becca Stanek, TheWeek, 6 July 2026
Definition of contributing

Browse Nearby Words

volunteered
volunteering
volunteers
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Volunteering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/volunteering. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on volunteering

Nglish: Translation of volunteering for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All