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index fund

American  

noun

  1. a fund, as a mutual fund or pension fund, with a portfolio that contains many of the securities listed in a major stock index in order to match the performance of the stock market generally.


Etymology

Origin of index fund

First recorded in 1975–80

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:

Your index fund has just over 7% of its assets in Apple, raising your combined exposure well past 25%.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 17, 2026

The top five holdings in an S&P 500 index fund account for 29% of the fund by value, if you can believe it.

From MarketWatch Jul. 14, 2026

By law, the money must be invested in a low-cost index fund designed for long-term growth.

From BBC Jul. 11, 2026

You might focus on the profit you made on that trade, without checking how much more you could have earned by holding an index fund.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 10, 2026

Money in these accounts must be invested in a low-fee index fund of primarily U.S. equities.

From MarketWatch Jun. 23, 2026

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