funds

British  

/ fʌndz /

plural noun

1. money that is readily available

2. British government securities representing national debt

---

Explanation

The money you have available at a given time are your funds. If you only get paid once a month, you have to budget carefully so you don't run out of funds between paychecks. The word funds comes from the Latin word fundus, which means "bottom," "base," or "a piece of property." It's not clear how the noun funds got from property to available cash, but perhaps the connection came because a person could base his financial security on being able to sell his land if he needed ready money. If your kids are low on funds, they will probably hit you up for an advance on their allowances. The request will probably begin something like, "How much do you love me?" Too bad that doesn't work at your bank!

Example Sentences

Big investors such as mutual and pension funds are “still highly concentrated in supercap tech,” he said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026

The Ladies European Tour's PIF Global Series includes five events in three continents, with tournaments in England, Las Vegas, Seoul, Shenzhen and Riyadh where prize funds total $15m.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

Soccer boss Gianni Infantino defends the pricing strategy as both market-reflective and a critical source of funds that are distributed to soccer federations.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

The Goldman trader said the stock rally can continue a bit longer, though as hedge funds transition from covering bearish bets on the stock market to buying single names that they have conviction on.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026

He told Eisman that his main fear was that the U.S. economy would strengthen, and dissuade hedge funds from placing bigger bets against the subprime mortgage market.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis