endowment

noun

en·​dow·​ment in-ˈdau̇-mənt 

en-

1

: the act or process of endowing

2

: something that is endowed

specifically : the part of an institution's income derived from donations

3

: natural capacity, power, or ability

a person of great intellectual endowment

Synonyms of endowment

• talent
• gift
• aptitude
• knack

Examples of endowment in a Sentence

The hospital's endowment was established by a local family.

The college has a large endowment.

the endowment of a hospital wing

Recent Examples on the Web

Collectively, the endowments of the eight most elite American universities come out to about $200 billion. —Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025

The endowment establishes the Kevin Feige Division of Film & Television Production and will be a source of funding for faculty, students with additional programmatic support. —Leia Mendoza, Variety, 4 Nov. 2025

The endowment marks his second gift to USC, following his establishment of the Kevin Feige Endowed Fund for Creative Producing, which supports a wide range of courses and producing opportunities for students, in 2017. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2025

Now, paired with the muscle of Houlihan Lokey, Swain has big plans to start selling to pension funds, endowments, and asset managers. —Shawn Tully, Fortune, 1 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

endowment

noun

en·​dow·​ment in-ˈdau̇-mənt 

1

: the providing of a permanent fund for support

also : the fund provided

a college's endowment

2

: a person's natural ability

Legal Definition

endowment

noun

en·​dow·​ment

1

: the act or process of endowing

2

: a result or product of endowing: as

a

: the income of an institution derived from donations

the university's ability to attract endowment

b

: the property (as a fund) donated to an institution or organization that is invested and producing income

an endowment to maintain the gallery

3

: an endowed organization or institution : foundation

chairwoman of the state's arts endowment

4

: endowment insurance