Definition of CROWDFUNDING

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Crowdsourcing and crowdfunding are two words that have recently found their way into the crowded pool of English. Crowdsourcing, which typically refers to the practice of soliciting services, ideas, or content from a large group of people online, was coined by Jeff Howe in a 2006 article in Wired, and crowdfunding was created by entrepreneur Michael Sullivan in that same year. Both words conceptualize "the crowd" as a vast online community from which something needed may be obtained. In crowdsourcing, the crowd is called upon for needed assistance or information. A well-known use of crowdsourcing is Wikipedia, whose content is the result of various contributors. Crowdfunding, on the other hand, involves a more specific request: the crowd is solicited for financial contributions to a particular venture or cause, such as a film project or cancer research.

Examples of crowdfunding in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Navigation Center fight After rival crowdfunding campaigns, a court battle and a viral video of an attack nearby, a 200-bed navigation center shelter for the homeless opened in December along the Embarcadero. — Taylor Kate Brown, SFChronicle.com, "Year in Review: Nav Center fight, impeachment and climate change in the Bay Area," 1 Jan. 2020 Sala's body was recovered from the plane's wreckage on February 6 after a private search for the missing footballer and the pilot was commissioned by his family -- financed by a crowdfunding campaign. — James Masters, CNN, "Cardiff to appeal over $6.65 million fee for Emiliano Sala," 5 Dec. 2019 His plan is to launch a crowdfunding campaign and begin taking preorders in November. — Darcel Rockett, chicagotribune.com, "‘Why do you not make girl Army men?' Toy company answers 6-year-old girl’s plea with prototype reveal in Schaumburg," 19 Sep. 2019 Zachęcamy do rezerwacji link w BIO #bookworm_cabin #crowdfunding #ucieczkaodmiasta The cabin is located in the countryside of Adelin, Poland, which is about 31 miles from Warsaw. — Isabel Garcia, House Beautiful, "This Cozy Cabin Was Made for Bibliophiles," 17 Dec. 2019 The boys were identified by relatives and on online crowdfunding sites as Kevin Hernandez and Sean. — Evan Sernoffsky, SFChronicle.com, "Video shows barrage of gunfire that killed boys in Union City school parking lot," 25 Nov. 2019 To that end, the campaign must raise $2,000 by October 1, or risk receiving no crowdfunding at all. — baltimoresun.com, "Seventh-grade Baltimore teacher set to launch new theater company in Pigtown bar," 4 Sep. 2019 Further Reading Joel Hodgson is attempting a crowdfunded MST3K reboot The most recent revival started with a massively successful crowdfunding campaign before Netflix picked the series up. — Samuel Axon, Ars Technica, "Mystery Science Theater 3000," 27 Nov. 2019 At publication time, the company's crowdfunding campaign had raised over $67,000 from 666 backers, despite a goal of only about $28,000. — Courtney Linder, Popular Mechanics, "If You've Ever Wanted a Smartphone Microscope, Now's Your Chance," 22 Nov. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'crowdfunding.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

5 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Crowdfunding.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crowdfunding?pronunciation&lang=en_us&dir=c&file=crowdfunding_1. Accessed 19 January 2020.