endow

American  

[en-dou] / ɛnˈdaʊ /

verb (used with object)

1. to provide with a permanent fund or source of income.

   to endow a college.

2. to furnish, as with some talent, faculty, or quality; equip.

   Nature has endowed her with great ability.

   Synonyms:

   endue, clothe, invest

3. Obsolete. to provide with a dower.

---

verb (used without object)

1. (of a life-insurance policy) to become payable; yield its conditions.

endow British  

/ ɪnˈdaʊ /

verb

1. to provide with or bequeath a source of permanent income

2. (usually foll by with) to provide (with qualities, characteristics, etc)

3. obsolete to provide with a dower

---

Other Word Forms

• endower noun
• reendow verb (used with object)
• superendow verb (used with object)
• unendowing adjective

Etymology

Origin of endow

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English endowen, from Old French endouer, equivalent to en- en- ¹ + douer, from Latin dōtāre “to dower,” equivalent to dōt- (stem of dōs ) “dowry” + -āre infinitive suffix

Explanation

To endow is to furnish, but not with furniture. If you've been endowed with something, it means you've been given a gift — most likely a gift that can't be returned or exchanged, like a sense of humor or athletic ability or trust. We usually use endow to refer to an ability or a quality, but you can endow someone with money, too. Endow is related to the word dowry, which is a gift that a man — or sometimes a woman — receives from his or her fiancé’s family before the wedding. The practice of giving dowries has fallen out of fashion in most Western countries, but there are still many parts of the world where it's common for the bride's family to provide the groom with an endowment of land and livestock.

Example Sentences

The aim is to endow Claude with a sense of morality—a digital soul that guides the millions of conversations it has with people every week.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

Kaufman also donated an undisclosed sum to create and endow the USC Kaufman School of Dance, and to build its home, the Glorya Kaufman International Dance Center.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 6, 2025

For breeders to make use of that diversity, however, they need to know which landraces could endow wheat with potentially desirable traits.

From Science Magazine • Jun. 16, 2024

"We show that we can use this fluid to endow intelligence into a simple robot," said Djellouli.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2024

“With this varvel,” the Wart heard, “I thee endow... love, honour and obey... till jess us do part.”

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Related Words

• bestow
• donate
• empower
• enable
• enhance
• enrich
• subsidize