voluntaryadjective
uk/ˈvɒl.ən.tər.i/us/ˈvɑː.lən.ter.i/C1 done, made, or given willingly, without being forced or paid to do it:
She does voluntary work for the Red Cross two days a week.
They chose to take voluntary redundancy.
voluntary workers
A voluntary organization is controlled and supported by people who give their time and money to it without being paid, and that exists to help other people:
The hospital has asked various voluntary organizations to help raise money for the new operating theatre.
the voluntary sector
More examples
- As a woman of independent means, she spent most of her life in voluntary work.
- The union remains obdurate that any redundancies must be voluntary.
- Most of our staff work for us on a voluntary basis .
- She took voluntary redundancy.
- Since retiring from the company, she has done voluntary work for a charity.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Freedom to act
- (as) free as a bird idiom
- at will idiom
- autonomous
- autonomy
- be a law unto yourself idiom
- free hand
- free rein idiom
- free spirit
- free time
- free-form
- hold
- independent
- indie
- liberty
- maverick
- me time
- no holds barred idiom
- no holds barred
- paddle your own canoe idiom
- volunteer
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Organizations - charities
voluntarily
adverb uk/ˈvɒl.ən.trəl.i//ˌvɒl.ənˈteə.rəl.i/us/ˈvɑː.lən.ter.əl.i/