endow

verb

en·​dow in-ˈdau̇ 

en-

endowed; endowing; endows

transitive verb

1

: to furnish with an income

especially : to make a grant of money providing for the continuing support or maintenance of

endow a hospital

2

: to furnish with a dower

3

: to provide with something freely or naturally

endowed with a good sense of humor

Synonyms of endow

• gift
• bless
• equip

Examples of endow in a Sentence

The wealthy couple endowed a new wing of the hospital.

She plans to endow a faculty position at the university.

The money will be used to endow the museum and research facility.

Recent Examples on the Web

Waqf— an irrevocable endowment under Islamic law — can endow health, education, and other public goods over generations; they can’t be dismantled unlike government aid budgets. — Alaa Murabit, STAT, 20 Aug. 2026

Someone who might have the answers is fan-favorite franchise staple Elise (Lin Shaye), a medium who commutes between both worlds, here via the body of a tattoo artist (Maisie Richardson-Sellers) endowed with paranormal gifts. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2026

When a Columbus nursing home that served aging African Americans was sold, a resulting gift endowed the Isabelle Ridgway Foundation, a supporting organization of the Columbus Foundation. — Laura MacDonald, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

But they’re endowed with a fundamentally different intelligence, one shaped by a separate evolutionary path and defined by a nervous system that’s distributed throughout their bodies rather than centralized like that of the brains of most animals. — Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 29 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French endower, from en- + dower, douer to endow, from Latin dotare, from dot-, dos gift, dowry — more at date

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing endow

• re-endow

Rhymes for endow

• allow
• avow
• chiao
• eyebrow
• highbrow
• lanao
• meow
• powwow
• somehow
• anyhow
• carabao
• disallow

Kids Definition

endow

verb

en·​dow in-ˈdau̇ 

1

: to provide with money for support or maintenance

2

: to furnish with something freely or naturally

humans are endowed with reason

Legal Definition

endow

transitive verb

en·​dow in-ˈdau̇ 

: to furnish with income

especially : to make a grant of money providing for the continuing support or maintenance of

a scholarship endowed by the testator

Etymology

Anglo-French endower, from Old French en-, prefix stressing completion + douer to endow, from Latin dotare, from dot-, dos gift, dowry