fund
Americannoun
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a supply of money or pecuniary resources, as for some purpose.
a fund for his education;
a retirement fund.
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supply; stock.
a fund of knowledge;
a fund of jewels.
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funds, money immediately available; pecuniary resources.
to be momentarily without funds.
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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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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.
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to allocate or provide funds for (a program, project, etc.).
noun
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a reserve of money, etc, set aside for a certain purpose
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a supply or store of something; stock
it exhausted his fund of wisdom
verb
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to furnish money to in the form of a fund
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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
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to provide a fund for the redemption of principal or payment of interest of
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to accumulate a fund for the discharge of (a recurrent liability)
to fund a pension plan
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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
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fundsimple
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fundssimple
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have fundedperfect
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has fundedperfect
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am fundingprogressive
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are fundingprogressive
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is fundingprogressive
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have been fundingperfect progressive
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has been fundingperfect progressive
Past
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fundedsimple
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had fundedperfect
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was fundingprogressive
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were fundingprogressive
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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:
She does this by contributing a little bit of money every month into a "sinking fund" - a pot of money set aside for a specific purpose.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
To my surprise, the proceeds from the sale were credited to my money-market settlement fund, but I did not receive the dividend.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
The terms stipulate that Canada will make payments into a US economic development fund of the equivalent of 50 percent of net revenue generated by the bridge for a period of 15 years.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Later, it will fund relevant research projects and develop education programs for parents and teachers, said Dr. Christine Yu Moutier, chief medical officer for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
“Guys who can’t get a job on Wall Street get a job at Moody’s,” as one Goldman Sachs trader-turned-hedge fund manager put it.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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This would save the government money because the loans would be expected to be paid back in full, plus interest, freeing up funds to pay for the bus cap policy.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority is asking the court to block a federal government suspension of its role as the administrator for about $240 million in funds from the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Many of these funds churned their portfolios too much, responding to short-term signals instead of longer-term trends, he adds.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Rep. Cyrus King of Massachusetts grumbled that Jefferson’s collection included “irreligious and immoral books” and complained that the funds could be spent for “purposes more indispensable than the purchase of a library.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
But a family of people who were later freed said, “None did more valiant service, both by advice and actual soliciting for funds than their true friend and sympathizer, Paul Jennings.”
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
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However, it said it had "not received any further details" and believed fare-cap schemes "must be fully funded" for operators.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Disclosure: Amazon, Apple and Common Cause have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
In 2023 and 2024, the county funded projects in Lehigh Acres valued at roughly $370 million, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
State health agencies take the lead in interviewing patients, and those agencies are disparately funded.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
Dr. Zamborska’s research is funded by the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C.
From "Silent To The Bone" by E.L. Konigsburg
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Elon Musk’s Boring Company is in talks to raise around $4 billion in new funding at a valuation of about $20 billion, according to sources.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
The funding round hasn’t closed and the people cautioned that the terms could change.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
The Office of Management and Budget sent the supplemental funding request to Congress asking for $87.6 billion — largely to fund Operation Epic Fury in Iran.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Lenders' funding costs have increased as markets judge that a prolonged conflict reduces the possibility of interest rate cuts by central banks.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
For one thing, although he's a bona fide academic his funding actually comes from the Ministry of Defense—I know the financial codes they use.
From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman
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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.