1
a
: a sum of money or other resources whose principal or interest is set apart for a specific objective
b
: money on deposit on which checks or drafts can be drawn
—usually used in plural
c
: capital
d
funds plural
: the stock of the British national debt
—usually used with the
2
: an available quantity of material or intangible resources : supply
3
funds plural
: available pecuniary resources
4
: an organization administering a special fund
funded; funding; funds
1
a
: to make provision of resources for discharging the interest or principal of
b
: to provide funds for
a federally funded program
2
: to place in a fund : accumulate
3
: to convert into a debt that is payable either at a distant date or at no definite date and that bears a fixed interest
fund a floating debt
Synonyms
Examples of fund in a Sentence
Noun
The fund was established to aid the poor.
All her funds were in a checking account.
His funds were getting lower as he continued to look for a job.
The comedian had a large fund of jokes.
Verb
The group funded three new scholarships.
Who funds the company pension plan?
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Recent Examples on the Web
Jeff Chen, Rolling Stone, 1 Dec. 2023
There are no secret levers or magic funds, and surprise windfalls are rare.
—Tracy Lownsberry, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
But today, an entire industry has arisen, from catering companies to film funds.
—Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Nov. 2023
And on Wednesday night, the duo hosted the very first Force for Freedom gala to raise funds to fulfill the organization's mission.
—Mario Abad, Vogue, 30 Nov. 2023
The decision to adopt rules for the fund comes after several months of hedging from developing nations over which countries would qualify for donations, with the European Union initially arguing that only low-lying island nations such as Tuvalu or the Marshall Islands should receive funds.
—Nidhi Sharma, NBC News, 30 Nov. 2023
The same is true of other places investors like to stash cash, such as savings accounts and money-market funds.
—Mallika Mitra, wsj.com, 29 Nov. 2023
Advertisement Funding for the program, which began in 2022, is pooled from three separate sources: federal money for low-income residents, sales proceeds from properties owned by the city’s former redevelopment agency and state Permanent Local Housing Allocation funds.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Nov. 2023
Inclusive Capital has begun winding down its funds and returning capital to its limited partners, according to a memo sent investors that was seen by The Wall Street Journal.
—Lauren Thomas, WSJ, 29 Nov. 2023
Jonathan O'Connell, Washington Post, 4 Dec. 2023
The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) announced the news today, stating that the donation will fund 820 metric tons of food parcels that is said to be able to feed more than 173,000 Palestinians for a span of two weeks.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 1 Dec. 2023
Apple has shown a willingness to use its deep pockets to fund high-budget productions for its streaming service.
—Paolo Confino, Fortune, 1 Dec. 2023
Gebbia helped fund the film and also played an active role in the film’s pre-production, production, and edit.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 1 Dec. 2023
However, there are opportunities to fund and adopt small modular reactors (SMRs) that could improve safety and ease of deployment.
—Wal Van Lierop, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
Never, ever, ever believe anyone telling you such and such a spending bill will be self funded.
—Dominic Pino, National Review, 30 Nov. 2023
The billboards were funded by donations from MoveOn members.
—C Mandler, CBS News, 30 Nov. 2023
At the time, the county’s chief executive officer estimated that providing free calls would cost about $30 million per year: $15 million to cover the the calls and another $15 million to pay for programs currently being funded by the call revenue.
—Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2023
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Noun
Less consumer awareness and demand motivate fewer businesses to focus on producing rare cannabinoids or fund human-subject research on the effects of rare cannabinoids.
—Jeff Chen, Rolling Stone, 1 Dec. 2023
There are no secret levers or magic funds, and surprise windfalls are rare.
—Tracy Lownsberry, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
But today, an entire industry has arisen, from catering companies to film funds.
—Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Nov. 2023
And on Wednesday night, the duo hosted the very first Force for Freedom gala to raise funds to fulfill the organization's mission.
—Mario Abad, Vogue, 30 Nov. 2023
The decision to adopt rules for the fund comes after several months of hedging from developing nations over which countries would qualify for donations, with the European Union initially arguing that only low-lying island nations such as Tuvalu or the Marshall Islands should receive funds.
—Nidhi Sharma, NBC News, 30 Nov. 2023
The same is true of other places investors like to stash cash, such as savings accounts and money-market funds.
—Mallika Mitra, wsj.com, 29 Nov. 2023
Advertisement Funding for the program, which began in 2022, is pooled from three separate sources: federal money for low-income residents, sales proceeds from properties owned by the city’s former redevelopment agency and state Permanent Local Housing Allocation funds.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Nov. 2023
Inclusive Capital has begun winding down its funds and returning capital to its limited partners, according to a memo sent investors that was seen by The Wall Street Journal.
—Lauren Thomas, WSJ, 29 Nov. 2023
Verb
Western sanctions were designed to strike a severe economic blow against Russia, where oil and gas revenue make up almost half of the federal budget and help fund the war effort.
—Jonathan O'Connell, Washington Post, 4 Dec. 2023
The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) announced the news today, stating that the donation will fund 820 metric tons of food parcels that is said to be able to feed more than 173,000 Palestinians for a span of two weeks.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 1 Dec. 2023
Apple has shown a willingness to use its deep pockets to fund high-budget productions for its streaming service.
—Paolo Confino, Fortune, 1 Dec. 2023
Gebbia helped fund the film and also played an active role in the film’s pre-production, production, and edit.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 1 Dec. 2023
However, there are opportunities to fund and adopt small modular reactors (SMRs) that could improve safety and ease of deployment.
—Wal Van Lierop, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
Never, ever, ever believe anyone telling you such and such a spending bill will be self funded.
—Dominic Pino, National Review, 30 Nov. 2023
The billboards were funded by donations from MoveOn members.
—C Mandler, CBS News, 30 Nov. 2023
At the time, the county’s chief executive officer estimated that providing free calls would cost about $30 million per year: $15 million to cover the the calls and another $15 million to pay for programs currently being funded by the call revenue.
—Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fund.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
earlier fond, borrowed (with later respelling after Latin fundus) from French fond "bottom, base, foundation," (in plural) "sum of money, capital, resources," going back to Old French funt, font "bottom, base, cultivated ground," going back to Latin fundus — more at bottom entry 1
Verb
derivative of fund entry 1
Phrases Containing fund
Articles Related to fund
Dictionary Entries Near fund
Cite this Entry
“Fund.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fund. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
fund
2 of 2 verb
: to supply funds for
a program funded by the state
Etymology
Noun
Latin fundus "bottom, piece of land owned as property" — related to found entry 2, fundamental
Legal Definition
fund
1 of 2 noun1
: a sum of money or other resources whose principal or interest is set aside for a specific objective
—
client security fund
: a fund established by each state to compensate clients for losses suffered due to their attorneys' misappropriation of funds
—
common trust fund
: an in-house trust fund established by a bank trust department to pool the assets of many small trusts for greater diversification in investing
—
executor fund
: a fund established in estate planning to provide for the payment of final expenses by an executor
—
joint welfare fund
: a fund that is established by collective bargaining to provide health and welfare benefits to employees and that is jointly administered by representatives of labor and management
—
paid-in fund
: a reserve cash fund in lieu of a capital stock account set up by mutual insurance companies to cover unforeseen losses
—
sinking fund
: a fund set up and accumulated by regular deposits for paying off the principal on a debt or for other specified purposes (as self-insurance)
—
strike fund
: a fund accumulated by a union through special assessments or from general funds and used to pay striking workers or for other strike-related activities
—
Taft-Hartley fund
\
ˈtaft-ˈhärt-lē-
\
after the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947, which established it
: joint welfare fund in this entry
—
trust fund
: property (as money or securities) settled or held in a trust
2
: an organization administering a special fund
—
exchange-traded fund
: a fund that is similar to an index fund in tracking a stock index but that is traded on the stock market
—
growth fund
: a mutual fund that invests in the stock of growth companies
—
hedge fund
: an investing group usually in the form of a limited partnership that employs speculative techniques in the hope of obtaining large capital gains
—
index fund
: a mutual fund that invests to reflect the composition of the market as a whole by matching its investments to a stock index
—
mutual fund
: an investment company that invests its shareholders' money in a usually diversified group of securities of other companies
—
vulture fund
: an investment company that buys up bankrupt or insolvent companies with the goal of reorganizing them so they can be profitably resold as going concerns
fund
2 of 2 transitive verb1
a
: to make provision of resources for discharging the principal or interest of
b
: to provide financial resources for
2
: to place in a fund
3
: to convert into a debt that is payable either at a distant date or at no definite date and that bears a fixed interest
More from Merriam-Webster on fund
Nglish: Translation of fund for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of fund for Arabic Speakers
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