fundraiser

noun

fund·​rais·​er ˈfənd-ˌrā-zər How to pronounce fundraiser (audio)
variants or less commonly fund-raiser
plural fundraisers also fund-raisers
1
: a person employed to raise funds (as for an institution or political cause)
a talented fundraiser
… hired not only for his popularity with the other scientists but for his proven abilities as a fundraiser.James Shreeve
2
: a social event (such as a cocktail party) held for the purpose of raising funds
… he gained recognition by throwing a posh fundraiser for President Jimmy Carter.James Ridgeway

Examples of fundraiser in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
James is one of House Republicans’ most prolific fundraisers, and his race attracted millions in outside spending last cycle. David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 17 Nov. 2025 Organizers launched an online fundraiser to achieve this year's goal. Jason Rantala, CBS News, 16 Nov. 2025 News of Obama and Biden’s relationship also comes after Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, slammed Obama for a clip of them at a fundraiser in the summer of 2024, where Obama took Biden by the arm to lead him offstage—an action that Hunter believed made Biden look feeble. Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 15 Nov. 2025 Jimmy Kimmel has launched two fundraisers in memory of Cleto Escobedo III, his childhood friend and the longtime bandleader of Jimmy Kimmel Live! Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 15 Nov. 2025 The comedian shared links to both fundraisers in his Instagram bio. Sean Mandell, PEOPLE, 15 Nov. 2025 This all kicks off when potential mayoral zaddy Alec Bloom visits the precinct to invite Elsbeth to a press-free fundraiser for the city law library. Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025 The annual fundraiser at which they will be toasted supports the nonprofit institute by collecting funds to support independent artists year-round through labs, intensives, grants, fellowships, a continuum of support and public programming. Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 12 Nov. 2025 The game comes after Westfield defeated Carmel last week, but the Greyhounds did outraise the Shamrocks in a tackling hunger fundraiser for the Hamilton County Harvest Food Bank. Jake Allen, IndyStar, 12 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1881, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fundraiser was in 1881

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Cite this Entry

“Fundraiser.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fundraiser. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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