From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcontributecon‧trib‧ute /kənˈtrɪbjuːt/ ●●○ S3 W2 AWL verb 1 [intransitive, transitive]GIVE to give money, help, ideas etc to something that a lot of other people are also involved incontribute to/towards City employees cannot contribute to political campaigns.contribute something to/towards something The volunteers contribute their own time to the project.2 CAUSE[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 His work contributed substantially to our knowledge of the disease and how to treat it.3 [intransitive, transitive]TCNWRITE to write articles, stories, poems etc for a newspaper or magazine → contributorcontribute to one of several authors contributing to the bookGrammarSomeone or something contributes to something: Will you contribute to his leaving gift?Everyone contributed to the success of the project. ✗Don’t say: contribute for something→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
contribute• The more ideas the better, pupils and colleagues can be asked to contribute. 4.• During the discussions MacDonald seemed to be listening, but he had nothing to contribute.• When we have class debates we try and get all the kids to contribute.• I feel good that I can contribute.• Several hundred people contributed articles, photographs, and cartoons.• All these contributed much to a sense of fellowship and corporate social identity as well as providing opportunities for personal development and individual enrichment.• Product delays contributed nearly $ 400 million in sales that would have normally come in the third quarter, analysts said.• My parents said they would contribute something towards the cost of my driving lessons.• Readers are invited to contribute their opinions on any of the issues discussed here.• She chose the Council because she felt she wanted something where she could contribute to the community.• I'd like to thank all of you who contributed to the hospital appeal.• She's hoping that private businesses will contribute to the upkeep.• Examiner correspondent Sandra Ann Harris contributed to this report.• It negates home-field advantage for home-grown retailers and contributes to urban sprawl.contribute to/towards• Alcohol contributes to 100,000 deaths.• The research is designed to contribute to an improved foundation for teacher training and teacher appraisal.• He asked if he could also have bonus money for the people below who had also contributed to his efforts.• Everyone has something to contribute to life.• In all of these areas, there are concepts and insights from linguistics which can contribute to pedagogical understanding.• Did the removal of these restrictions contribute to the consumption boom of the late s?• All of these folks, to varying degrees, have contributed to the new album as well.• Trapp continually makes these stupid plays, and he does little to contribute to the team play.contribute substantially/significantly/greatly etc to something• Clearly, infectious diseases contribute significantly to economic losses and days of disability in the United States.• Nor did his philosophy contribute significantly to the development of the scientific enterprise in succeeding generations.• But to sum up, he is beginning to feel that lawyers have contributed significantly to the disintegration of our country.• It may seem odd, but this deviant definition of homosexuality contributed greatly to the rise of gay liberation.• Successful nominees to the committee contribute greatly to the Trust's work, offering a wealth of specialist expertise and experience.• Fishing, hunting, and the gathering of edible roots and berries also contribute significantly to the Zande diet.• They felt a need to reorder a broken world, a need that contributed greatly to their intellectual growth.• The curve of the blade contributed greatly to this, as Henry Stephens showed in his Book of the Farm.From Longman Business Dictionarycontributecon‧trib‧ute /kənˈtrɪbjuːt/ verb [intransitive, transitive] to give money, help, ideas etc to something that a lot of other people are involved incontribute to/towardsHis department contributed £2.3 million towards the fund.They contributed to a number of worthy causes.→ See Verb tableOrigin contribute (1500-1600) Latin past participle of contribuere, from com- ( → COM-) + tribuere ( → TRIBUTE) 