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

King County has consistently been the main contributor to the state’s overall population growth, adding 30,100 people in all of 2023, compared to an average of 33,800 people per year between 2010 and 2020. —Spencer Pauley | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 15 Feb. 2025

Update to the latest version to see all Vogue content, as well as new features like our Runway Genius quiz, Group Chats, and posts from Vogue contributors. —Giles Hattersley, Vogue, 15 Feb. 2025

Glamour contributor Danielle Sinay who has wavy hair, loves this brush. —Brigitt Earley, Glamour, 14 Feb. 2025

Daniel Sperry, a Star contributor for soccer coverage, first met Manzano in 2021 and was blown away by how the Spanish-speaking reporter covered the global sport, specifically with regard to the men’s professional team, Sporting Kansas City. —Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 14 Feb. 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