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

See Examples For:

index fund

If SpaceX is allowed to try really hard to infiltrate your sensible money-market index fund, why not put it into something you’re actually passionate about, like an ultra-rare mint condition Umbreon card?

From Slate ● Aug. 31, 2026

An index fund holding publicly traded stocks can generate almost no tax bills for as long as you own it, especially if it’s a broadly diversified ETF.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Around that same time, Jack Bogle was trying to launch the first index fund and could not get any backing on Wall Street.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026

Even if you have been riding the semiconductor wave with an index fund this year, it hasn’t been fun to watch your brokerage account decline so much in less than three weeks.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

Even if, like Wall Street Journal reader Marc Gordon, you bought an index fund or two and “let it ride” for a couple of decades, you can be under the same curse.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026