donor

American  

[doh-ner] / ˈdoʊ nər /

noun

1. a person who gives or donates.

   Synonyms:

   patron, sponsor, contributor, supporter

2. Medicine/Medical. a person or animal providing blood, an organ, bone marrow cells, or other biological tissue for transfusion or transplantation.

3. Law. a person who gives property by gift, legacy, or devise, or who confers a power of appointment.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the biological tissue of a donor.

   donor organ.

donor British  

/ ˈdəʊnə /

noun

1. a person who makes a donation

2. med any person who voluntarily gives blood, skin, a kidney etc, for use in the treatment of another person

3. law

   1. a person who makes a gift of property

   2. a person who bestows upon another a power of appointment over property

4. the atom supplying both electrons in a coordinate bond

5. an impurity, such as antimony or arsenic, that is added to a semiconductor material in order to increase its n-type conductivity by contributing free electrons Compare acceptor

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donor Scientific  

/ dō′nər /

1. An atom or molecule that releases one or more electrons to another atom or molecule, resulting in a chemical bond or flow of electric current.

2. Compare acceptor See also electron carrier

3. An individual from whom blood, tissue, or an organ is taken for transfusion, implantation, or transplant.

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Other Word Forms

• donorship
  noun
• predonor
  noun

Etymology

Origin of donor

1400–50; late Middle English donour < Anglo-French ( Old French doneur ) < Latin dōnātor, equivalent to dōnā ( re ) ( see donation) + -tor -tor

Explanation

A donor is a person who donates something of value to a person or an organization, especially a charity. A wealthy donor might leave her book collection to the local library in her will. Buildings on college campuses are frequently named after generous donors — if you give millions of dollars to your school, they might name the new library after you, crediting you as a donor. Another kind of donor gives blood that can be used for transfusions, or agrees to donate organs after his or her death. Donor comes from the Latin root donare, "give as a gift."

Example Sentences

The actor battled high blood pressure and kidney disease and struggled with his weight for years, and in 2009, he announced he was seeking a donor for a kidney transplant.

From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026

Cornyn, by contrast, is a straight-laced institutional conservative who has represented Texas in the Senate since 2002 and built deep ties with the state's donor class and Republican leadership in Washington.

From Barron's • May 26, 2026

He is a prominent Republican donor who supported Mr. Ono and expressed dismay when he was blocked.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026

Healthy donor mitochondria reduced pain, while mitochondria taken from people with diabetes produced no benefit.

From Science Daily • May 24, 2026

But she realized, even if the donor had been him, she was just grateful that Mamma and Papa wouldn’t be footing the bill.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

Related Words

• backer
• benefactor
• contributor
• patron