volunteer

volunteer — noun

1. a person who freely offers to do work or help others without expecting any money

1.nounA2
Definition

a person who freely offers to do work or help others without expecting any money in return, typically for a charity, community group, or public-service event.

Example

Tamar works as a volunteer at the animal shelter every Saturday morning.

collocation: volunteer at [place]

The hospital relies on volunteers to help families find their way around the building.

Common collocations
  • volunteer at a hospital
  • volunteer for a charity
  • volunteer in the community
  • trained volunteer
  • team of volunteers
Synonyms
  • helper

    less formal; does not always imply unpaid work

  • unpaid worker

    emphasises the lack of pay more explicitly

Antonyms
  • paid worker

    someone who receives wages or a salary

  • employee

    a person hired for wages, not freely offering their time

Grammar Patterns

volunteer + for/in/at + [place/organisation]

Usage Note

Countable noun. Often followed by a prepositional phrase with for, at, or in to indicate the organisation or setting.

Common Mistakes

I worked as volunteer for a year.
I worked as a volunteer for a year.
volunteer is a countable noun and needs an article.
She is a volunteer in the hospital.
She is a volunteer at the hospital.
use at for the place where the volunteering happens.

2. a person who enters military service of their own free will, without being order

2.nounB2
Definition

a person who enters military service of their own free will, without being ordered to do so by a government law that requires all citizens to serve.

Example

Minho joined the navy as a volunteer after graduating from high school.

collocation: join as a volunteer

During the war many young men became volunteers instead of waiting to be drafted.

Common collocations
  • volunteer in the army
  • volunteer for military service
  • volunteer soldier
  • volunteer force
Synonyms
  • enlistee

    more neutral; can be voluntary or compulsory

  • recruit

    newly joined member, not necessarily voluntary

Antonyms
  • conscript

    a person forced by law to serve in the military

  • draftee

    someone called up for compulsory service

Grammar Patterns

volunteer + in/for + [armed force]

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1 (UNPAID HELPER): this sense is specifically military. Use conscript or draftee as the opposite.

Common Mistakes

He was a volunteer in World War II' (when forced to join).
He volunteered for service in World War II.' or 'He was a volunteer in the army during World War II.
only use when the person joined willingly.

volunteer — verb

volunteer — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

These four verbs all describe making something available to others, but they differ in context and connotation. Volunteer is the most specific: it implies freely choosing to do a task, often one that is needed but not required, and often without payment — for example, volunteering to clean up after a community event. Offer is broader and can apply to objects, money, help, or suggestions in any setting, from formal business deals to casual favours; it does not by itself suggest unpaid or community-oriented work. Step forward is a phrasal verb that emphasises the public or visible nature of the act — someone steps forward in a group setting when nobody else will. Sign up is more procedural: it means to formally register for a role, programme, or activity, which may or may not be unpaid. Use volunteer when the emphasis is on free choice and community spirit; use offer for everyday transactions; use step forward for courage in a group; use sign up for formal enrolment.

volunteer ↗offer ↗step forwardsign up

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • on a volunteer basis
  • as a volunteer

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Volunteer comes from the Latin word voluntarius, meaning 'willing' or 'of one's own free will'. This passed into French as volontaire, referring to someone who acts by choice, and then into English in the 1600s. The military sense — a soldier who enlists freely rather than being drafted — appeared in the 1700s, and the general sense of anyone offering unpaid help followed in the 1800s.