crowdfunding

American  

[kroud-fuhn-ding] / ˈkraʊdˌfʌn dɪŋ /

Or crowd-funding

noun

1. the activity or process of raising money from a large number of people, typically through a website, as for a project or small business.

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Other Word Forms

• crowdfund verb (used with or without object)
• crowdfunded adjective

Etymology

Origin of crowdfunding

First recorded in 2005–10; crowd ¹ + fund + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

In essence it was an in-house crowdfunding scheme, promising beer enthusiasts a chance to "own a slice of the brewery and share in its success and growth".

From BBC

Some small-scale, independent news sites founded in the past five years have built audiences via a crowdfunding model, though they still face political and financial pressures.

From Barron's

But his family saw the stress the payments were causing him and set up a crowdfunding page, where they raised roughly $25,000 to cover the rest of his payments.

From BBC

Purchased through community crowdfunding, the vehicle has become a symbol of how local residents stepped in to help Nepal's police rebuild after one of the most violent episodes of unrest in recent years.

From Barron's

The company secured funding through equity crowdfunding and on the TV show “Shark Tank,” and is also developing prototypes for arms and legs.

From Los Angeles Times