underfund

verb

un·​der·​fund ˌən-dər-ˈfənd How to pronounce underfund (audio)
underfunded; underfunding; underfunds

transitive verb

: to provide insufficient funds for

Examples of underfund in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Even as the Biden administration has intensified Washington’s focus on oversight, Congress has continued to underfund and understaff some of the very offices whose chief responsibility is to monitor stimulus cash. Tony Romm and Yeganeh Torbati, Anchorage Daily News, 28 Dec. 2022 Yet the medical sciences continue to underfund studies focused on women, even among diseases that affect women most of all. Chloe E. Bird, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2022 The presumption was that white parents and administrators would not underfund schools that Black children attended if white children were also students there. Jelani Cobb, The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2021 It later was seen as a contributing factor in the 1996 decision to underfund the city’s pension system. San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Aug. 2021 Yes, mailboxes get broken into, but until there are real penalties for inadequate computer security, corporations will continue to underfund their network security and be reactive instead of proactive. Liz Weston, oregonlive, 30 May 2021 But school districts and the statewide teachers union insisted that would dramatically underfund K-12 schools and force districts to lay off teachers. oregonlive, 15 May 2021 In 1996 and 2002, San Diego and its unions agreed to deals where the city would underfund the retirement system in return for increased benefits for workers. Michael Smolens Columnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'underfund.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1963, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of underfund was in 1963

Dictionary Entries Near underfund

Cite this Entry

“Underfund.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/underfund. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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