Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - contribute

(contributes, contributing, contributed) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. If you contribute to something, you say or do things to help to make it successful. The three sons also contribute to the family business... He believes he has something to contribute to a discussion concerning the uprising. VERB: V to n, V n to n, also V 2. To contribute money or resources to something means to give money or resources to help pay for something or to help achieve a particular purpose. The US is contributing $4 billion in loans, credits and grants... NATO officials agreed to contribute troops and equipment to such an operation if the UN Security Council asked for it. = donate VERB: V n, V n to/towards n, also V • contributor (contributors) ...the largest net contributors to EU funds. N-COUNT 3. If something contributes to an event or situation, it is one of the causes of it. The report says design faults in both the vessels contributed to the tragedy... Stress, both human and mechanical, may also be a contributing factor. VERB: V to n, V-ing 4. If you contribute to a magazine, newspaper, or book, you write things that are published in it. I was asked to contribute to a newspaper article making predictions for the new year... Frank Deford is a contributing editor for Vanity Fair magazine. VERB: V to n, V-ing • contributor (contributors) Reporter Alan Nearn covers Central America and is a regular contributor to The New Yorker. N-COUNT