Dictionary

defund en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /diːˈfʌnd/ (UK)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *de Proto-Indo-European *-h₁ Proto-Indo-European *déh₁ Proto-Italic *dē Latin dē Latin dē-der. English de- English fund English defund From de- + fund.

Meanings

1. (US, transitive) To cancel funding for.
   • A dormant and defunded CPB could have become vulnerable to future political manipulation or misuse, threatening the independence of public media and the trust audiences place in it, and potentially subjecting staff and board members to legal exposure from bad-faith actors.” 2026 January 5, Michael Schneider, “Corporation for Public Broadcasting to Shut Down After 58 Years Due to Trump Eliminating Funding”, in Variety, archived from the original on 07 Jan 2026:
   • Did the Arizona legislators satisfy the principles of deliberation when they decided to defund organ transplants? 1996, Amy Gutmann, Dennis Frank Thompson, Democracy and Disagreement:
   • However, when Congress has attempted to defund a presidential agency, presidents have responded by creating new agencies to perform similar functions. 2003, David E Lewis, Presidents and the Politics of Agency Design:
   • "It has me concerned that this religiously-powered anti-access anti-person campaign has succeeded in a small town in America already," Chrastka told Motherboard. "The idea that there is a breakdown in the respect that we used to have in America for the separation of church and state and a rise of a political perspective that wants to essentially break government, defund education, approach issues around the rights of individual humans as if it was a criminalization campaign... this is a troubling moment and a signal for the rest of America to wake up." 2022 August 5, Claire Woodcock, “This Town Voted To Defund its Public Library After it Included LGBTQ+ Books”, in Vice.com, archived from the original on 11 Dec 2022:

Forms

Deriveds

defunder

Synonyms

unfund