defund

verb

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

transitive verb

: to withdraw funding from

Examples of defund in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The proposal would break up and significantly defund the agency across programs, curtailing everything from ocean research to coastal management while shifting one of NOAA’s robust satellite programs out of the agency and putting another up for commercial bidding. Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica, 24 Apr. 2025 In the first three months of his term, district judges have issued seventeen nationwide injunctions, blocking executive orders that, among other things, sought to end birthright citizenship, defund the Department of Education, and ban transgender people from serving in the military. Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025 Continue reading … 'OFF THE LEGAL RAILS' – Trump administration's efforts to defund Harvard divides conservatives. FOXNews.com, 18 Apr. 2025 Meanwhile, other federal agencies are making similar moves to defund research. Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2025 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

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Cite this Entry

“Defund.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defund. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.

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