funds
Britishplural noun
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money that is readily available
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British government securities representing national debt
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!
Vocabulary lists containing funds
Figurative Language in King's "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
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Figurative Language in King's "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963), List 1
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Supreme Court healthcare ruling
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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.
Still, these funds may work better as a starting point until retirement investors are ready to customize their plans to meet their financial needs and goals.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
Their passage to America depended in part on affidavits and funds that Stern helped procure for them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
“Traditionally, at age 60, target-date funds go mainly into bonds. I disagree with that strategy,” said Robert Pozen, a senior lecturer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
Critics in the 1970s made a similar argument about money market mutual funds, but those fears proved unsubstantiated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
A national group called the People-to-People Committee was attempting to raise funds for the team, and the executive director asked Bobby if he’d give a simultaneous exhibition to publicize the team’s plight.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
