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Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
voluntary
I.adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a voluntary code (=one that people are not legally obliged to follow)
▪ This voluntary code sets standards for retailers on the use of child labour.
self-imposed/voluntary exile (=when someone goes into exile willingly, without being forced)
▪ He spoke to the media from his self-imposed exile in the United States.
the voluntary sector (=people doing socially useful work for no money)
▪ The voluntary sector has an important role in tackling urban deprivation.
voluntary redundancies (=done willingly, without being forced)
▪ Wherever possible the cuts will be achieved by voluntary redundancies.
voluntary workBritish English, volunteer work American English (= a job you are not paid for)
▪ She also did voluntary work in a girls’ club.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ NOUN
action
▪ For example, his sigh might not be a voluntary action at all.
▪ Goodwill makes higher forms of voluntary action possible.
▪ So it is that we must also support voluntary action and volunteering as essential in a healthy democracy in a civilised society.
▪ He also threatened to impose guidelines, unless they took voluntary action.
▪ This approach stems from a strongly held belief that voluntary action represents a major force for positive environmental change.
activity
▪ Reading has then become a voluntary activity associated with pleasure and achievement.
▪ Many of these non-players receive positive enjoyment from this voluntary activity.
▪ Numerous forms of disease and injury are predictably related to voluntary activities.
▪ Another area of voluntary activity is the provision of classes on preparation for retirement.
▪ Employment opportunities - both in paid jobs and in voluntary activities - should be explored.
agency
▪ The main voluntary agency dealing with literacy is Marxist.
▪ Under the initiative, voluntary agencies have received grants totalling £150,000.
▪ Local authorities or voluntary agencies should have provided the information, the association said.
▪ Many of the statutory and voluntary agencies provide advice without charge.
▪ An alcohol problems voluntary agency helps Mrs F who has become involved in a family self-help group.
▪ All voluntary agencies funded by the Department of Social Work must also now operate a complaints procedure.
▪ This envisaged a coordinator to integrate the various official and voluntary agencies for elderly people.
▪ In many aspects of work for the disabled the voluntary agencies were pioneers.
agreement
▪ The threat follows frustration at the lack of success of voluntary agreements to curb abstractions from the rivers.
▪ Stringent regulations are likely to be imposed if voluntary agreement is not forthcoming.
▪ Ministers insist that voluntary agreements with the tobacco industry are more effective than outright bans.
▪ It is untrue that there are wide-spread breaches of the voluntary agreement.
▪ The committee was set up under the terms of a voluntary agreement.
▪ This has now been dropped by a directive concentrating on public education and voluntary agreements with industry.
▪ Our most important priority is to secure the agreement of the industry to effective voluntary agreements and then to police them robustly.
▪ Particular skills and attitudes are needed to make voluntary agreements workable and fair.
arrangement
▪ The Financial Statement was a voluntary arrangement, which aimed to avoid court action.
▪ Firstly, why should a voluntary arrangement have to mimic an Administration Order?
▪ If a voluntary arrangement has been proposed or is in force, this must also be stated.
▪ Note that a s34 order can not be made in respect of a child accommodated by a local authority under a voluntary arrangement.
▪ If a voluntary arrangement is anticipated, the recommendation should be as open as possible.
▪ The Brewers Society code which is a voluntary arrangement says tenants should be paid compensation if their tenancy is terminated.
▪ That legislation was the Medicines Act 1968 which made statutory the previously voluntary arrangements.
association
▪ Finally, in a free democratic society, voluntary associations provide a training ground for participation in wider politics.
▪ All things considered, women belong to somewhat fewer voluntary associations than men do.
▪ The inhabitants of the shanty towns have frequently achieved stability and social organisation through the establishment of personal networks and voluntary associations.
▪ This implies that the government is operating in a world of autonomous, spontaneously self-creating, voluntary associations.
▪ Likewise, many aspects of leisure and voluntary associations associated with residential location belong in the sphere of civil society.
▪ It has 555 members, and has been joined by 24 other voluntary associations.
basis
▪ This reduction was largely achieved on a voluntary basis, and our employees showed remarkable resilience and loyalty, despite such difficulties.
▪ Herrera ordered that this inhuman practice must cease and proposed to put recruiting on a voluntary basis.
▪ The provision has been criticised as unnecessary as most organisers liaised with the police on a voluntary basis.
▪ Certainly, it was not difficult to convince some patients of the desirability of going to Carville on a purely voluntary basis.
▪ There had developed since Khrushchev's time policies to involve the populace more in low-level administrative activities on a voluntary basis.
▪ Professional societies bestow other forms of credentials on a voluntary basis.
▪ Social responsibility is thus not merely a matter of the adoption of changed standards on a voluntary basis.
▪ It will be noted that the children had already been effectively in care on a voluntary basis for the previous six months.
body
▪ Others are run by voluntary bodies, for example churches or charities; or privately by individual owners or commercial companies.
▪ Throughout her life she operated on the fruitful margin that arbitrarily separates the statutory from the voluntary body.
▪ The Circular exhorted LEAs to consider new ways of providing opportunities for adult education, including co-operation with universities and voluntary bodies.
▪ In 1980 a Family Forum was established bringing together representatives of many of the voluntary bodies involved in family welfare.
▪ Many people believe that voluntary bodies as they are today can not be entrusted with this national responsibility.
▪ There is also a major involvement by central government and voluntary bodies.
▪ And some voluntary bodies felt they were not being given adequate enough attention.
code
▪ In this respect, voluntary codes of practice applied in a particular trade are highly relevant.
▪ This voluntary code sets standards for retailers buying goods from the third world.
▪ That was shown about 20 years ago, shortly after the first voluntary code.
▪ They have said that there is too much legislation and that voluntary codes are required.
▪ The measures contained in an amendment to the Bill will be backed up by a voluntary Code of Conduct.
▪ The voluntary code, which will cover offshore centres, has no provisions for sanctions or enforcement checks.
contribution
▪ And as the lifeboats are run entirely on voluntary contributions and membership fees, the £6 you give to us is vital.
▪ Evidence of direct concern is the voluntary contributions people make to research organizations concerned with health and safety.
▪ However, in certain limited circumstances you can make voluntary contributions to make up a shortfall in a particular year.
▪ The voluntary contribution Voluntary organizations are particularly active in the care of old people.
▪ Of these, only ninety-five financed school meals out of rates, the remainder calling on voluntary contributions.
▪ Additional voluntary contributions seem caught too, therefore.
▪ The Roman catholic church is financed out of voluntary contributions.
effort
▪ Co-ordination of voluntary effort in relation to the promotion of tree planting and the protection of trees is effected through the Tree Council.
▪ Ronald Reagan often argued that by cutting public sector spending, we could liberate voluntary efforts from the oppressive arm of government.
▪ The improvements that had taken place relied on the voluntary efforts of enthusiasts or political clout expended on particular initiatives.
▪ The sticking point for purists was over the balance to be struck between state power and voluntary efforts.
▪ Government programmes aided by voluntary effort have helped to establish and man hospitals and detection and treatment centres.
▪ As is often the case voluntary effort preceded state action.
▪ Their vision was a truly voluntary effort.
exile
▪ Scarcely any aspect of life in the countries where he passes his voluntary exile has failed to incur his pessimistic censure.
▪ Rather go into seven years' voluntary exile!
▪ He then went into voluntary exile.
▪ Christopher Hope grew up a Catholic in Pretoria and went into voluntary exile, aged thirty-one, in 1975.
group
▪ They would co-ordinate the work of government and council agencies, local businesses, churches and voluntary groups.
▪ All are voluntary groups, and many of the meetings are open to all who wish to attend.
▪ There are two core elements of support offered to local voluntary groups by the Campaign - information and grants.
▪ Mr. Thurnham Does my hon. Friend agree that voluntary groups and private providers can efficiently deliver services for the disabled?
▪ Furthermore, Brook has also developed a good working relationship with other voluntary groups and welfare organisations.
▪ Broadly there are three types of action a voluntary group can instigate: 1.
▪ But local authority associations, professional bodies and voluntary groups must not become scapegoats for government complacency and inaction.
▪ Many local councils and voluntary groups also run recycling schemes.
liquidation
▪ One member asked for details of how my father had gone into voluntary liquidation.
▪ It went into voluntary liquidation on 7 May.
▪ Creditors may vote to accept or not to accept either the voluntary liquidation or liquidator.
movement
▪ It may be quite striking, with the head and extremities exhibiting gross, irregular oscillations exaggerated by voluntary movements.
organisation
▪ She trained as a state registered and registered mental nurse before moving into community development with a voluntary organisation.
▪ There is a danger that a voluntary organisation can take on more than it can handle and consequently overstretch its resources.
▪ These are uncharted waters where a voluntary organisation could find itself well out its depth.
▪ However, having studied all these reports, it does seem that voluntary organisation involvement is encouraged through national policy guidelines.
▪ The voluntary organisation offers support, friendship and practical help to young families under stress or experiencing difficulties.
▪ Staff at the voluntary organisation held strikes in protest at the dismissal of Paul Knight, who managed a home in Barnet.
▪ Mr Campbell is secretary of a voluntary organisation for users of mental health services called Survivors Speak Out.
▪ For a voluntary organisation the task is not only hard, it is dangerous.
organisations
▪ There was insufficient recognition that some of the voluntary organisations who helped with the plans do not adequately consult disabled people.
▪ Consultation with the public was less well-developed and took place largely through the traditional channels of voluntary organisations and patient surveys.
▪ This may involve putting you in contact with specialist help or one of the voluntary organisations that are expert in this field.
▪ The government, local authorities and voluntary organisations agree that training and staff supervision is essential to creating a positive setting.
▪ There are dangers for voluntary organisations who take on an increased responsibility for service provision.
▪ Others go into the civil service, journalism, pressure groups, or voluntary organisations and a variety of other careers.
organization
▪ Do you belong to a voluntary organization?
▪ Think of your church, your synagogue, your voluntary organization.
▪ It is a voluntary organization whose goal is to promote global information exchange.
organizations
▪ If these institutions genuinely want to help the poor, they should give priority to helping voluntary organizations.
▪ They used voluntary organizations to operate recycling programs, to perform energy audits, and even to manage a park.
▪ Projects would be run by youth groups and voluntary organizations as well as local authorities.
▪ Our local chambers of commerce are voluntary organizations.
▪ More separate provision is being provided and many authorities make good use of the facilities made available by voluntary organizations.
▪ A welcome exception are the social clubs for former psychiatric patients run by voluntary organizations.
▪ Befriending services are also now provided by some local voluntary organizations.
▪ Good community care services work best where skilled professionals work comfortably hand-in-hand with unskilled staff, families, neighbours and voluntary organizations.
participation
▪ Beyond this, to maximize the voluntary participation, the editor comes to personify the strategy and purposes of the publication.
▪ Much of the opposition may come from imagined or real excesses from voluntary participation itself.
▪ What about the promises of voluntarism where voluntary participation is the featured work perspective?
▪ When it happens there is a mobilization of thought and will for voluntary participation in something worthwhile.
redundancy
▪ Early retirement and voluntary redundancy schemes often result in the loss of some of the best people.
▪ Some 31,700 took voluntary redundancy and a further 5,400 disappeared as the result of disposals.
▪ Unemployment due to resignation or voluntary redundancy.
▪ Voluntary Redundancy A topic of interest to many companies at present is voluntary redundancy.
▪ Most of the jobs will disappear through hiving off divisions and seeking voluntary redundancies.
▪ Jack was offered voluntary redundancy in late August and it was confirmed that there was suitable accommodation at the Kings Lodge base.
▪ Ford wants to shed more than 1,400 jobs through voluntary redundancy, but Mr Adams said there were unlikely to be enough volunteers.
▪ Marconi wants to slash 4,000 more jobs, on top of the 4,000 through voluntary redundancy since April.
repatriation
▪ Applications for voluntary repatriation virtually dried up.
▪ An agreement was reached during Maude's visit to increase the rate of voluntary repatriation of boat people from Hong Kong.
sector
▪ Feeling that they needed their own independence, they have now returned to look for funding from the voluntary sector.
▪ The contracting culture should mean greater opportunities for voluntary sector providers, but Mussenden identifies problems.
▪ Although some of this goes to the government and voluntary sectors, most of it goes to the commercial sports sector.
▪ The creation of the Partnerships had considerable implications for the voluntary sector.
▪ The old Urban Programme, run from the Home Office until 1977, tended to benefit the voluntary sector.
▪ Working closely with the voluntary sector we will continue to provide help for those sleeping rough, particularly in the capital.
▪ A great deal of spending went on social and community projects, an area where the voluntary sector flourished.
▪ This will be achieved via the stimulation of the private and voluntary sector.
service
▪ A larger number still provide a wide range of formal and informal voluntary services.
▪ Use the expertise and facilities of your local authorities and voluntary services for practical help, advice and social activities.
▪ We have a great tradition of voluntary services and charitable giving.
▪ A recent Gallup poll found that 98m adults are involved in voluntary service, a 23% increase in two years.
▪ The important role of voluntary services, both in the provision of information and in providing support, has often been underestimated.
▪ He will also be in touch with all the local voluntary services for the elderly and disabled, whose help he can raise.
▪ The hours of this voluntary service are limited.
▪ For many, local government and the voluntary service sector concerns about the reality of community care implementation featured highly.
work
▪ Morley took up her evenings but daytime was given to voluntary work.
▪ Their plush London home provided a base for Jane's voluntary work with the Samaritans.
▪ But people without a job who have found fulfilling voluntary work or an absorbing hobby also score highly.
▪ However, some firms issue the spouse with details of opportunities available to do voluntary work or attend further education classes.
▪ There may be time available for voluntary work.
▪ She also does two afternoons' voluntary work at the school which her children attend.
▪ We have a great tradition of voluntary work at home and overseas.
▪ Between these operations I did occasional voluntary work, mainly on an archaeological site.
worker
▪ Full details of the awards for gallantry and to voluntary workers are given below.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
on a voluntary/part-time/temporary etc basis
▪ After a period of full-time child-care, many women return to paid employment on a part-time basis.
▪ Herrera ordered that this inhuman practice must cease and proposed to put recruiting on a voluntary basis.
▪ However, to date this exciting new technology has only adopted on a voluntary basis.
▪ Social responsibility is thus not merely a matter of the adoption of changed standards on a voluntary basis.
▪ The numbers are growing and the club is doing well, but more help is needed on a voluntary basis.
▪ There had developed since Khrushchev's time policies to involve the populace more in low-level administrative activities on a voluntary basis.
▪ This reduction was largely achieved on a voluntary basis, and our employees showed remarkable resilience and loyalty, despite such difficulties.
▪ This was often done on a temporary basis at first, but usually the fences became permanent hedges or walls.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
voluntary cooperation
▪ Most charities rely on voluntary contributions from the public.
▪ Participation in the program is strictly voluntary.
▪ Playing sport on Saturday at school was entirely voluntary.
▪ Since retiring Martha has been doing voluntary work for the Red Cross.
▪ The council is trying to get more young people involved in doing voluntary work.
▪ The district is calling for a voluntary ban on using wood-burning stoves, in order to improve air quality.
▪ We get all our money from voluntary contributions.
▪ When she retired, she did a lot of voluntary work for the Red Cross.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ By being voluntary and reversible, this arrangement avoids being stigmatized by the United Nations as colonial.
▪ It is often the case that voluntary work, of any kind, shows commitment and dedication and impresses employers.
▪ Lane has been convicted of attempted voluntary manslaughter and is in custody awaiting sentencing next month.
▪ Shortly after his death and resurrection, the early Christians began to collect church funds through voluntary offerings.
▪ Social responsibility is thus not merely a matter of the adoption of changed standards on a voluntary basis.
▪ Such New Men would find real contentment through voluntary partnerships with New Women.
▪ The group consists of both professional and voluntary lay members.
▪ Throughout history the voluntary control of sexuality has been a major preoccupation of all religions, all cultures, all peoples.
II.noun
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Where there is adequate equipment, consideration should be given to the use of pre-recorded hymn accompaniments and voluntaries.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Voluntary

Voluntary \Vol"un*ta*ry\, n.; pl. Voluntaries.

  1. One who engages in any affair of his own free will; a volunteer. [R.]
    --Shak.

  2. (Mus.) A piece played by a musician, often extemporarily, according to his fancy; specifically, an organ solo played before, during, or after divine service.

  3. (Eccl.) One who advocates voluntaryism.

Voluntary

Voluntary \Vol"un*ta*ry\, a. [L. voluntarius, fr. voluntas will, choice, from the root of velle to will, p. pr. volens; akin to E. will: cf. F. volontaire, Of. also voluntaire. See Will, v. t., and cf. Benevolent, Volition, Volunteer.]

  1. Proceeding from the will; produced in or by an act of choice.

    That sin or guilt pertains exclusively to voluntary action is the true principle of orthodoxy.
    --N. W. Taylor.

  2. Unconstrained by the interference of another; unimpelled by the influence of another; not prompted or persuaded by another; done of his or its own accord; spontaneous; acting of one's self, or of itself; free.

    Our voluntary service he requires.
    --Milton.

    She fell to lust a voluntary prey.
    --Pope.

  3. Done by design or intention; intentional; purposed; intended; not accidental; as, if a man kills another by lopping a tree, it is not voluntary manslaughter.

  4. (Physiol.) Of or pertaining to the will; subject to, or regulated by, the will; as, the voluntary motions of an animal, such as the movements of the leg or arm (in distinction from involuntary motions, such as the movements of the heart); the voluntary muscle fibers, which are the agents in voluntary motion.

  5. Endowed with the power of willing; as, man is a voluntary agent.

    God did not work as a necessary, but a voluntary, agent, intending beforehand, and decreeing with himself, that which did outwardly proceed from him.
    --Hooker.

  6. (Law) Free; without compulsion; according to the will, consent, or agreement, of a party; without consideration; gratuitous; without valuable consideration.

  7. (Eccl.) Of or pertaining to voluntaryism; as, a voluntary church, in distinction from an established or state church.

    Voluntary affidavit or Voluntary oath (Law), an affidavit or oath made in an extrajudicial matter.

    Voluntary conveyance (Law), a conveyance without valuable consideration.

    Voluntary escape (Law), the escape of a prisoner by the express consent of the sheriff.

    Voluntary jurisdiction. (Eng. Eccl. Law) See Contentious jurisdiction, under Contentious.

    Voluntary waste. (Law) See Waste, n., 4.

    Syn: See Spontaneous.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
voluntary

late 14c., from Latin voluntarius "willing, of one's free will," from voluntas "will," from the ancient accusative singular present participle of velle "to wish" (see will (v.)). Originally of feelings, later also of actions (mid-15c.). Related: Voluntarily.

Wiktionary
voluntary

a. 1 Done, given, or acting of one's own free will. 2 Done by design or intention; intentional. 3 Working or done without payment. 4 Endowed with the power of willing. 5 Of or relating to voluntarism. adv. (context obsolete English) voluntarily. n. 1 (context music English) A short piece of music, often having improvisation, played on a solo instrument 2 A volunteer

WordNet
voluntary
  1. adj. of your own free will or design; not forced or compelled; "man is a voluntary agent"; "participation was voluntary"; "voluntary manslaughter"; "voluntary generosity in times of disaster"; "voluntary social workers"; "a voluntary confession" [ant: involuntary]

  2. controlled by individual volition; "voluntary motions"; "voluntary muscles" [ant: involuntary]

voluntary
  1. n. (military) a person who freely enlists for service [syn: volunteer, military volunteer] [ant: draftee]

  2. composition (often improvised) for a solo instrument (especially solo organ) and not a regular part of a service or performance

Wikipedia
Voluntary

Voluntary may refer to:

Voluntary (music)

In music a voluntary is a piece of music, usually for organ, that is played as part of a church service. In English-speaking countries, the music played before and after the service is often called a 'voluntary', whether or not it is titled so.

The title 'voluntary' was often used by English composers during the late Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical periods. Originally, the term was used for a piece of organ music that was free in style, and was meant to sound improvised (the word voluntary in general means "proceeding from the will or from one's own choice or consent"). This probably grew out of the practice of church organists improvising after a service.

Later, the voluntary began to develop into a more definite form, though it has never been strictly defined. During the late 17th century, a 'voluntary' was typically written in a fugal or imitative style, often with different sections. In the 18th century the form typically began with a slow movement and then a fugue. Two to four movements were common, with contrasting tempos (slow-fast-slow-fast). In the 18th century England, the word 'voluntary' and 'fuge' were interchangeable. These English style 'fuges' (or fugue) do not follow the strict theoretic form of German-style fugues. They are more related to the 'fugues' written by Italian composers of the time.

Besides the fugal type of voluntary, two other common forms developed: the trumpet voluntary and the cornet voluntary. These two were usually non-fugal, but still contained movements with contrasting tempos. These voluntaries were meant to feature the stops for which they are named. One very long example of this form of voluntary was written by Pepusch, and has 13 total movements. Several of the movements are named after organ solo stops or mixtures (bassoon, cornet, trumpet, sesquialtera, flute, twelfth, etc.).

Many composers wrote voluntaries, including Orlando Gibbons, John Blow, Henry Purcell, William Boyce, John Stanley, Handel and Thomas Arne. Often, when English music printers published continental organ music, they would, by default, title the works as 'voluntaries', though the word was not used by composers in mainland Europe. Typically, these continental works were fugues or other imitative forms.

Some voluntaries were called double voluntaries. These were pieces written for organs with two manuals (keyboards). The pieces contrasted a loud manual with a soft one.

Usage examples of "voluntary".

The Christians sometimes supplied by their voluntary declaration the want of an accuser, rudely disturbed the public service of paganism, and rushing in crowds round the tribunal of the magistrates, called upon them to pronounce and to inflict the sentence of the law.

That being the ideal of Anarchism, its economic arrangements must consist of voluntary productive and distributive associations, gradually developing into free communism, as the best means of producing with the least waste of human energy.

On the way they overtook the patriarch, without attendance and almost without apparel, riding on an ass, and reduced to a state of apostolical poverty, which, had it been voluntary, might perhaps have been meritorious.

Nevertheless, he was correct in thinking that our voluntary imposition of a meaningless notation upon an object apprehended is the way in which at least some words must acquire their meaning.

Some physiologists suppose that the cerebellum is the source of that harmony or associative power which co-ordinates all voluntary movements, and effects that delicate adjustment of cause to effect, displayed in muscular action.

Protesting shrilly and brandishing an expensively plated and engraved pistol, it was clear that his presence in the Rolls was by no means voluntary.

Edinburgh to improve, enlarge, and adorn the avenues and streets of that city, according to a concerted plan, to be executed by voluntary subscription: a third, allowing the exportation of wool and woollen yarn from Ireland into any port in Great Britain: and a fourth, prescribing the breadth of the wheels belonging to heavy carriages, that the high roads of the kingdom might be the better preserved.

Scots, after maintaining for ages the dignity of an independent kingdom, have multiplied, by an equal and voluntary union, the honors of the English name.

The misconception as to the relation of voluntary attention to interest is seen in an illustration often given as an example of non-voluntary attention.

The paralytic agent appears to be affecting the voluntary muscle groups, which means most people should not be at risk of death.

Their want of experience detained them twelve years longer the obscure and voluntary pupils of a minister, who extended his reign by persuading them to indulge the pleasures of youth, and to disdain the labors of government.

She had just returned from duty with the team informing the largest of the human primitivist communities of their imminent relocation, and trying to secure their voluntary cooperation.

Affirming that the Supreme Court is not concluded by the finding of a jury in a State court that a confession in a murder trial was voluntary, but determines that question for itself from the evidence, the Justices unanimously declared that the Constitution proscribes lawless means irrespective of the end, and rejected the argument that the thumbscrew, the wheel, solitary confinement, protracted questioning, and other ingenious means of entrapment are necessary to uphold our laws.

He could by a voluntary effort suspend the action of his heart for a considerable period, during which he lay like one dead, pulseless, and without motion.

As one consequence of this pattern, the significant armies have continued to be small and usually based on voluntary recruitment, intended for deployment outside their native systems.