What does contribute mean?
Word: Contribute
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Contribute means to add your share of money, time, help or ideas, together with others. It can also mean to be one reason why something happens.
Synonyms: give, donate, add
Antonyms: withhold
How do you spell contribute?
Syllables: con - trib - ute
Tricky part: After tr comes i, not u. The u comes later, near the end. Students mix up the order of the two vowels.
Watch out for: contrubute, contribut, controbute
Memory tip: Each member of a team gives a share: con means together, and the i comes first, as in tribe, before the u of the ending.
Contribute in a sentence
Example 1: Every child contributed ten rupees for the teacher's birthday card.
Example 2: Rain and heavy traffic contributed to the delay.
Example 3: Can you contribute a poem to the school magazine this year?
Fun Fact
Its Latin root, tribuere, first meant to share out among the tribes, the old groups into which Roman citizens were divided.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
contributte
a) b
b) r
c) u
d) t
Show answer
d) t. There is just one t at the very end, before the final e.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word:
contribute
a) offer
b) supply
c) provide
d) take
Show answer
d) take. To provide, supply or offer is to add something of your own; take is the reverse.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
brutcetino
a) distribute
b) attribute
c) contributed
d) contribute
Show answer
d) contribute. Look for the c, o and n of con: attribute and distribute have none of them, and contributed needs a d.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) donasion
b) charety
c) volunter
d) contribute
Show answer
d) contribute. Donation, charity and volunteer are each misspelt here; contribute is correct.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. How could you contribute to a class picnic?
a) bring a box of fruit for everyone
b) read the note sent home about it
c) ask the teacher where it will be
d) wait for the bus to arrive
Show answer
a) bring a box of fruit for everyone
2. Too much screen time can contribute to poor sleep. What does contribute mean here?
a) fully prevent
b) help to cause
c) slowly measure
d) quickly cure
Show answer
b) help to cause
