volunteered

Volunteered is the simple past tense and past participle of the verb volunteer. It denotes the act of offering to do something willingly, without coercion and typically without pay. The act can describe an individual taking initiative (She volunteered to lead the project) or the disclosure of information (He volunteered the details).

As a transitive verb, volunteered can take an infinitive clause or a direct object: 'She volunteered to help,' 'He volunteered the information.' It is commonly used in contexts such as civic or charitable activities, workplace arrangements, or research studies, where people offer their time, skills, or data.

Etymology and related forms: volunteer comes from Old French volunteir, from Latin voluntas 'will, wish.' The past tense form volunteered follows standard English conjugation. Related forms include voluntary (adjective), voluntarily (adverb), and volunteer (noun), all centered on the notion of intentional, voluntary action rather than duty or coercion.

In modern usage, volunteering is widely associated with community service, non-profit work, disaster relief, and study participation, but the verb can apply to any situation where someone offers help or information of their own accord. The term distinguishes voluntary acts from those that are mandatory, compensated, or assigned, highlighting personal willingness as the defining feature.