contribute
[verb]
Synonyms:
- give, add, bestow, chip in (informal), donate, provide, subscribe, supply
- contribute to: be partly responsible for, be conducive to, be instrumental in, help, lead to, tend to

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Contrasted words: detract, minus, subtract, take away
Related Idioms: put something in the pot, sweeten the kitty, do one's bit, have a hand in
Related Words: aid, help, assist, add (to), augment, supplement, fortify, recruit, reinforce, strengthen

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

con‧trib‧ute S3 W2 AC /kənˈtrɪbjuːt/ verb
[Word Family: noun: contribution, contributor; verb: contribute; adjective: contributory]
[Date: 1500-1600; Language: Latin; Origin: past participle of contribuere, from com- ( ⇒ COM-) + tribuere (, tribute)]

1. [intransitive and transitive] to give money, help, ideas etc to something that a lot of other people are also involved in
contribute to/towards
City employees cannot contribute to political campaigns.
contribute something to/towards something
The volunteers contribute their own time to the project.

2. [intransitive] to help to make something happen ⇒ contributory:
Stress is a contributing factor in many illnesses.
contribute to
Alcohol contributes to 100,000 deaths a year in the US.
contribute substantially/significantly/greatly etc to something
Enya’s success has contributed substantially to the current interest in Celtic music.

3. [intransitive and transitive] to write articles, stories, poems etc for a newspaper or magazine ⇒ contributor
contribute to
one of several authors contributing to the book

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

contribute
verb
I. give
ADV. enormously, generously, greatly, handsomely, heavily, substantially His research has contributed enormously to our understanding of this disease. Many people contributed generously to the appeal.
equally a situation where husband and wife contribute equally to the family budget
fully | financially
VERB + CONTRIBUTE be asked to, be encouraged to
PREP. to I would like to contribute to the church restoration fund.
towards The company contributed £50,000 towards training costs.
PHRASES have little/a lot/much to contribute (to sth) He had very little to contribute to the conversation.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

contribute
II. help cause sth
ADV. greatly, largely, significantly, substantially Parental involvement contributes significantly to children's learning.
effectively | further | actively, directly Unemployment contributes directly to homelessness.
indirectly | undoubtedly | unwittingly
PREP. to Several factors might contribute to the development of the disease.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

contribute
III. write for a newspaper, etc.
ADV. regularly a talented photographer who contributed regularly to ‘The Face’
PREP. to Students are encouraged to contribute articles to the university magazine.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

contribute
verb
BAD: Oxfam and Save the Children have contributed a lot of money for the relief work.
GOOD: Oxfam and Save the Children have contributed a lot of money to the relief work.
BAD: When I return home, I hope to contribute my country's economic development.
GOOD: When I return home, I hope to contribute to my country's economic development.

Usage Note:
contribute (money or some other form of assistance) to sth : 'In recent years a number of major corporations have contributed large sums of money to the President's campaign funds.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲