funds

British  

/ fʌndz /

plural noun

1. money that is readily available

2. British government securities representing national debt

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Explanation

The money you have available at a given time are your funds. If you only get paid once a month, you have to budget carefully so you don't run out of funds between paychecks. The word funds comes from the Latin word fundus, which means "bottom," "base," or "a piece of property." It's not clear how the noun funds got from property to available cash, but perhaps the connection came because a person could base his financial security on being able to sell his land if he needed ready money. If your kids are low on funds, they will probably hit you up for an advance on their allowances. The request will probably begin something like, "How much do you love me?" Too bad that doesn't work at your bank!

Example Sentences

It’s first batch of funds to build and preserve affordable housing, approved Wednesday, will pay for 554 below market units.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

Yardeni pointed out that exchange-traded funds focused on momentum stocks have outperformed the S&P 500 in April.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026

Within hours, most of the stolen funds were moved from the Solana blockchain to another blockchain platform.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

Investors who want to reduce concentration but keep a traditional market-cap weighting could add sector funds to their portfolio, Davi says.

From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026

Not long before that, in April 2007, Howie Hubler, perhaps having misgivings about the size of his gamble, had struck a deal with the guy who ran the doomed Bear Stearns hedge funds, Ralph Cioffi.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis