- 1[countable] a sum of money that is given to a person or an organization in order to help pay for something synonym donation contribution (to something) to make a contribution to charity a generous contribution All contributions will be gratefully received. contribution (toward(s) something/doing something) valuable contributions toward the maintenance of the cathedral
- 2[countable] contribution (to something) a sum of money that you pay regularly, often to your employer or the government, for benefits such as health insurance, a retirement plan, etc. monthly contributions to the retirement account unemployment insurance contributions Thesauruspayment
- premium
- contribution
- subscription
- repayment
- deposit
- installments
- payment an amount of money that you pay or are expected to pay; the act of paying:ten monthly payments of $50 payment in advance
- premium an amount of money that you pay once or regularly for an insurance policy; an extra payment added to the basic rate; a higher amount of money than usual:an insurance premium a premium for express delivery
- contribution a sum of money that you pay regularly, often to your employer or the government, for benefits such as health insurance, a retirement plan, etc:You can increase your monthly contributions to your savings account.
- subscription an amount of money you pay in advance to receive regular copies of a newspaper or magazine, or to receive a service:a subscription to “Newsweek”
- repayment money that you pay to a bank, etc. until you have returned all the money that you owe; the act of paying this money:to set up a repayment plan
- deposit an amount of money that you pay as the first part of a larger payment; money that you put into a bank account:We've put down a 5% deposit on the house. I made a $500 deposit into my checking account.
- installments one of a number of payments that you make regularly over a period of time until you have paid for something:We paid for the car by/in installments.
- (a/an) annual/monthly/regular payment/premium/contributions/subscription/deposit/installments
- payment/repayment in full
- to pay a premium/a contribution/a subscription fee/a deposit/installments
- to make (a) payment/deposit
- to meet/keep up (with) (the) payment(s)/the premiums
- 3[countable, usually singular] an action or a service that helps to cause or increase something contribution (to something) He made a very positive contribution to the success of the project. a significant contribution to scientific knowledge the car's contribution to the greenhouse effect contribution (toward(s) something/doing something) These measures would make a valuable contribution toward reducing industrial accidents. AWL Collocationscontributecontribute verbto give a part of the total, together with others
- financially
- greatly, significantly, substantially
- positively
- equally
- greatly, significantly, substantially
- importantly
- positively
- disproportionately
- directly, indirectly
- (most) likely, undoubtedly
- significantly
- factor
- important, significant
- major, substantial
- valuable
- outstanding, seminal, unique
- relative
- 4[countable] contribution (to something) an item that forms part of a book, magazine, broadcast, discussion, etc. an important contribution to the debate All contributions for the May issue must be received by Friday.
- 5[uncountable] contribution (to something) the act of giving something, especially money, to help a person or an organization
Check pronunciation: contribution