crowdfund

verb

crowd·​fund ˈkrau̇d-ˌfənd How to pronounce crowdfund (audio)
crowdfunded; crowdfunding; crowdfunds
transitive verb
: to obtain needed funding for (something, such as a new business) by soliciting contributions from a large number of people especially from the online community
Kudos to former Nashvillian, Devin Haqq, filmmaker, actor, writer and director who was very successful when he decided to crowdfund his film "Ambition's Debt".—Justine Harvey

Examples of crowdfund 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.
Since leaving her job in Memphis' nonprofit sector last year, Nancy Brownlee has been using her extensive network to crowdfund for friends and strangers alike through Facebook. — Natalie Wallington, MLK50, 18 Aug. 2026 Well, the most basic definition of a network state, according to Srinivasan, is a community that forms online of like-minded people who then decide to go and crowdfund a new territory somewhere and start their own country. — Tonya Mosley, NPR, 10 Aug. 2026 By doing so, Chattanooga FC became the first sports team to take advantage of the passage of the 2016 JOBS Act, which allowed private companies to crowdfund from non-accredited investors in exchange for equity. — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 17 July 2026 By comparison, last year’s Rugby World Cup finalists Canada had to crowdfund to take part in the tournament. — Caoimhe O'Neill, New York Times, 18 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for crowdfund

Word History

Etymology

crowd entry 2 + fund entry 2, after crowdsourcing

First Known Use

2008, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of crowdfund was in 2008

Rhymes for crowdfund

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Browse Nearby Words

crowder pea
crowdfund
crowdfunding
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Crowdfund.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crowdfund. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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