defund

verb

de·​fund (ˌ)dē-ˈfənd How to pronounce defund (audio)
defunded; defunding; defunds
Synonyms of defundnext

transitive verb

: to withdraw funding from

Examples of defund 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.
But in practice, Washington is preparing to defund the humanities and liberal arts at the exact moment the people building artificial intelligence are telling us those fields matter more than ever. — Dr. Alan Kadish, New York Daily News, 9 Aug. 2026 And in New York, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has tried to distance himself from his past criticisms of the city’s police department and a previous call to defund the agency. — ABC News, 31 July 2026 In 2020, activists launched a campaign to defund the police department, although it was regarded as relatively progressive and community-oriented. — Michael Powell, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026 According to Paxton, Democrat candidate James Talarico does the opposite, wanting to defund police and make the jobs of sheriffs harder. — Rachel Royster july 22, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for defund

Word History

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of defund was in 1948

Rhymes for defund

See All Rhymes for defund

Browse Nearby Words

defunctive
defund
defuse
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Defund.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defund. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on defund

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for defund

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All