contributor

noun

con·​trib·​u·​tor kən-ˈtri-byə-tər 

-bə-,

-ˌbyü-

: someone or something that contributes something or that contributes to something

charitable contributors

… have suggested that the fee would hurt the agriculture industry, a sector they claim is the largest contributor to the state economy.

—Wenonah Hauter

… was illustrated by Oliver Munday, a frequent contributor to the Book Review …

—John Williams

These particles, which are known as black carbon and are the major component of soot, are the second most important contributor to global warming, behind only carbon dioxide, wrote the 31 authors of the study …

—Elisabeth Rosenthal

Examples of contributor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

List of Celebrity Homes Destroyed by Pacific Palisades Wildfire By Jane LaCroix Contributing Entertainment Writer 0 Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors Khloé Kardashian has some notes for Los Angeles' city officials. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025

Jack Kelly has been a senior contributor for Forbes since 2018, covering topics in career development, job market trends and workplace dynamics. —Jack Kelly, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025

Claudia López Lloreda is a senior contributor at Undark and a freelance science journalist covering life sciences, health care and medicine. —Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Jan. 2025

All opinions expressed by the CNBC Pro contributors are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of CNBC, NBC UNIVERSAL, their parent company or affiliates, and may have been previously disseminated by them on television, radio, internet or another medium. —Jeff Kilburg, CNBC, 10 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English contributour "person who pays a tax or assessment," borrowed from Anglo-French, "one who pays a share of a tax or fine," from Latin contribūt-, past participle stem of Latin contribuere "to give as a portion or share" + -our -or entry 1 — more at contribute

First Known Use

circa 1531, in the meaning defined above