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

News stories about wealthy investors’ disenchantment have focused on particular bad loans, or the threat of artificial intelligence to the funds’ software industry borrowers.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

When the funds’ repurchase offers become oversubscribed, that means their investors can’t redeem their entire stakes in full at the official NAV.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

The pension funds’ largest contributions were to Palantir, with CalPERS investing $734 million and CalSTRS investing $625 million.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

Banks’ loans to BDCs are often secured by those funds’ loans as collateral, and structured as loans to special entities.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Investors increasingly are concerned about private-credit funds’ liquidity and loan quality.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026