voluntary

Universal Words adjective, noun adjective 1 done willingly, not because you are forced: a voluntary agreement / arrangement * Attendance on the course is purely voluntary. * to pay voluntary contributions into a pension fund * (BrE) He took voluntary redundancy. OPPCOMPULSORY 2 [usuallybeforenoun] (of work) done by people who choose to do it without being paid: I do some voluntary work at the local hospital. * She works there on a voluntary basis. * voluntary services / bodies / agencies / organizations (= organized, controlled or supported by people who choose to do this and are usually not paid) * the voluntary sector (= organizations which are set up to help people and which do not make a profit, for example charities) 3 [onlybeforenoun] (of a person) doing a job without wanting to be paid for it: a voluntary worker 4 (technical) (of movements of the body) that you can control OPPINVOLUNTARY noun (plural voluntaries) a piece of music played before, during or after a church service, usually on an ORGAN