Synonyms

seed money

American

noun

capital for the initial stages of a new business or other enterprise, especially for the initial operating costs.

seed money British

noun

money used for the establishment of an enterprise

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of seed money

First recorded in 1940–45

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.

Babies born from 2025 to 2028 who are American citizens and have a Social Security number are eligible for the seed money.

From Barron's • May 28, 2026

The cap is $5,000, indexed for inflation, excluding the government seed money and any company match.

From Barron's • May 28, 2026

Take a child born this year who gets the $1,000 seed money.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

A dispute over reforms to an SBA program that funds startups has cut the flow of seed money to Southern California’s defense tech firms.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2026

He gave a million dollars in seed money and hired an attorney to draw up papers for Partners in Health and its corresponding sister organization in Haiti, Zanmi Lasante.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023