fund
Americannoun
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funds
plural
-
a supply of money or pecuniary resources, as for some purpose.
a fund for his education;
a retirement fund.
-
supply; stock.
a fund of knowledge;
a fund of jewels.
-
funds, money immediately available; pecuniary resources.
to be momentarily without funds.
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an organization created to administer or manage a fund, as of money invested or contributed for some special purpose.
verb (used with object)
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funds,
present (3rd person singular)
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funded,
past participle, past
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funding
present participle
-
to provide a fund to pay the interest or principal of (a debt).
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to convert (general outstanding debts) into a more or less permanent debt, represented by interest-bearing bonds.
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to allocate or provide funds for (a program, project, etc.).
noun
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a reserve of money, etc, set aside for a certain purpose
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a supply or store of something; stock
it exhausted his fund of wisdom
verb
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to furnish money to in the form of a fund
-
to place or store up in a fund
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to convert (short-term floating debt) into long-term debt bearing fixed interest and represented by bonds
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to provide a fund for the redemption of principal or payment of interest of
-
to accumulate a fund for the discharge of (a recurrent liability)
to fund a pension plan
-
to invest (money) in government securities See also funds
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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fundernoun
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overfundnoun
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underfundingnoun
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overfundverb (used with object)
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prefundverb (used with object)
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underfundverb (used with object)
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nonfundedadjective
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underfundedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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fundsimple
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fundssimple
-
have fundedperfect
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has fundedperfect
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am fundingprogressive
-
are fundingprogressive
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is fundingprogressive
-
have been fundingperfect progressive
-
has been fundingperfect progressive
Past
-
fundedsimple
-
had fundedperfect
-
was fundingprogressive
-
were fundingprogressive
-
had been fundingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fund
First recorded in 1670–80; from Latin fundus “bottom, estate”; replacing fond 2 in most of its senses
Explanation
A fund is a supply of money to be used for a specific purpose. You can start a fund for almost anything, such as your child’s education, a new car, or the establishment of the world’s largest origami collection. Fund can be used as a verb meaning “provide funds for something.” If you’re unable to save up the money to start your origami collection, you might ask a friend to fund it. (We predict she’ll say no.) An organization that raises money for a particular, often charitable, purpose can also be called a fund. We doubt an origami collection warrants its own fund, but there's no harm in trying.
Vocabulary lists containing fund
"The Sporting Spirit"
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Word Generation Weekly - Series 1
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 19
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Walter is not the only owner of a life insurer to rely on related-party loans to fund its business dealings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Only 27% of actively managed U.S. large-cap equity funds beat their benchmark passive fund alternatives in the 12 months ended June 30.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
An online fund, external has been set up by the council to allow people to donate to those affected.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
It is only over 15- and 20-year periods that the average private-equity fund pulls ahead.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
The hedge fund people, he hoped, would see just how stupid the investors on the other side of those bets were, and cease to worry that the investors knew something they did not.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
The scale is extraordinary: The Dallas Fed estimates hedge funds ended last year with $2.4 trillion of Treasurys, up from $600 billion a decade earlier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Active intermediate core bond funds, the largest category, had a 66% success rate beating benchmarks over the past year, and a majority have done so for three years running, according to Morningstar.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Active fixed-income ETFs have been growing faster than passive funds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Because the profits on each trade are tiny, hedge funds have to leverage as much as 100 times to get worthwhile returns, creating new risks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Rock stars plan relief concerts to raise funds.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
The research was funded by the Medical Research Council and Wellcome.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026
The administration has also argued that the ballroom is being constructed without any taxpayer money and is fully funded by private corporate donations - meaning that Congressional approval is not required.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
In Barcelona, the basilica, funded by donations and now, more amply, by tourist dollars, has become a metaphor for dilatoriness and delay.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Only 9% of private-sector workers, or more than 11.3 million, have a traditional pension funded by their employers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Rahim Khan told me Baba had personally funded the entire project, paying for the engineers, electricians, plumbers, and laborers, not to mention the city officials whose “mustaches needed oiling.”
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
“No degree, no funding, no experience—the logical decision would’ve been to finish university first,” she says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
"For three years, while the company quietly collapsed around them, not one of its founders, officers, or directors said a word to the investors whose money was funding the collapse," the complaint states.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Their itemized deductions in the funding year is significantly higher than the standard deduction, so much so that it pushes out of the 22% bracket and into the 12%.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
Crenshaw residents say construction in many areas lasted only for a few months before funding ran out, leaving the neighborhood in disarray.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
For on assumption, unlike the earlier debate over funding, Madison had the votes.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
