fund
Americannoun
-
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.
-
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.
-
to allocate or provide funds for (a program, project, etc.).
noun
-
a reserve of money, etc, set aside for a certain purpose
-
a supply or store of something; stock
it exhausted his fund of wisdom
verb
-
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
-
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
-
fundsimple
-
fundssimple
-
have fundedperfect
-
has fundedperfect
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am fundingprogressive
-
are fundingprogressive
-
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:
He also said UniSuper was concerned that Firmus would have to go further into debt to fund its growth plans.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
The Breakwave Tanker Shipping exchange-traded fund started 2026 with an $18 handle.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
West Midlands mayor Richard Parker, who backed Longbow with £3m from a government fund, said the project will be followed by the firm's Roadster model, creating more than 200 skilled jobs.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
The Financial Times earlier reported on the performance of Arini’s flagship fund.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Vasiljevic had bought the hotel for $500 million, so the $5 million that he fronted for the prize fund was not a particular burden for him.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
The battered share prices of private-credit funds present a buying opportunity for investors comfortable with the credit risk in the sector.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
One day, my exchange-traded funds go up the next day, and the next day they crash.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
UniSuper, one of Australia's biggest pension funds, was among the institutional investors that decided not take part in the IPO.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
“A lot of funds are flush with capital that they need to deploy,” said Kevin Eisele, managing director, equity capital markets for William Blair.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Outside of raising the funds to bring my family over, I had a hard time envisioning my future.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
French education is largely funded by the central government, unlike in the U.S. where local taxes are the main source of public school funding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
I will be watching margins, operating cash flow, capital spending and management’s explanation of how the expansion will be funded.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
Gilruth agreed that transport was "challenging" in the area but added that the government already funded bus travel for under 22s, over 60s and those with disabilities.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
In a release, Leslie’s said it had reached an agreement with more than 80% of its existing lenders to eliminate about 90% of its funded debt, or $685 million.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Pumphrey is an acquaintance of twenty-year-old John Surratt, the messenger instrumental in ensuring that Booth’s operation is fully funded by the Confederacy.
From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly
He also signalled that the government would "say more" at the Budget about plans to use public investment as a way to encourage private funding in the economy.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Hone, a San Francisco-based startup developing AI systems that take ongoing responsibility for business outcomes, picked up $60 million in funding from investors including Benchmark and Index Ventures at a $285 million valuation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
An independent panel would be set up to oversee funding decisions and help shape priorities, the foundation said.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Overall, the investigation found, City concealed the true source of more than $1.1 billion in funding while lying to the league and investigators.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
The war’s been intense lately, and with several decades of infrastructure funding diverted to supplying the warfront, I don’t know if these buildings would hold up well in another earthquake.
From "Legend" by Marie Lu
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.
