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

Property crime has been the largest contributor to the increase in total crime rates. —Jovi Dai, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024

Emily Pennington is a columnist and longtime Outside contributor. —Emily Pennington, Outside Online, 15 Nov. 2024

That delay, similar to someone running late to work after frantically bobbing and weaving through a crowded city street, is one of the leading contributors to errors in navigation systems. —Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 13 Nov. 2024

Noninterest expense increased slightly to $30.6 million from $30.2 million, with salaries and employee benefits being the primary contributor to the increase. —Quartz Bot, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024

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