defund
Americanverb (used with object)
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to withdraw financial support from, especially as an instrument of legislative control.
Many university programs were defunded by the recent government cutbacks.
-
to deplete the financial resources of.
The cost of the lawsuit defunded the company's operating budget.
Etymology
Origin of defund
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.
At one rally she applauded the efforts of activists but stopped short of saying she would fight to defund school police.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026
“I am not running to defund the police,” Mamdani said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025
The government is conducting a review into post-16 education, after pausing the previous government’s plans to defund many Level 3 courses in favour of T-levels.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2024
In one moment, while decrying the effort to defund police and vowing to protect law enforcement, he highlighted discrepancies in protection for people of color.
From Salon ● May 25, 2024
I never supported the effort to defund the police.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 20, 2023
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.
