fund

1 of 3

noun

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
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

fund

2 of 3

verb

funded; funding; funds

transitive verb

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
funder noun

fund

3 of 3

abbreviation

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?
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Last month, the Fed lowered its benchmark, short-term fed funds rate for the first time in four years to give a cooling labor market a boost now that inflation’s in a downward trend. Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 2 Oct. 2024 The funds will be professionally managed until students turn 25, and they are accompanied by conditions, including finishing high school and college. Tharin Pillay, TIME, 2 Oct. 2024
Verb
Since public schools in Texas are funded by the state based on the number of students in attendance, any student departures would deplete their dollars. Austin Bureau, San Antonio Express-News, 3 Oct. 2024 Published in Frontiers in Marine Science and funded by the Blue Marine Foundation, this new study was conducted at the Morris Kahn Marine Research Station at the University of Haifa. Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for fund 

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

First Known Use

Noun

1628, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

1764, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of fund was in 1628

Dictionary Entries Near fund

Cite this Entry

“Fund.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fund. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

fund

1 of 2 noun
1
: a quantity of available resources : stock, supply
a large fund of jokes
2
a
: a sum of money for a special purpose
the book fund
b
: available money
usually used in plural

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 noun
1
: 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 verb
1
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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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