crowdfunding
noun
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Crowdsourcing and crowdfunding are two words that have recently found their way into the crowded pool of English. Crowdsourcing, which typically refers to the practice of soliciting services, ideas, or content from a large group of people online, was coined by Jeff Howe in a 2006 article in Wired, and crowdfunding was created by entrepreneur Michael Sullivan in that same year. Both words conceptualize "the crowd" as a vast online community from which something needed may be obtained. In crowdsourcing, the crowd is called upon for needed assistance or information. A well-known use of crowdsourcing is Wikipedia, whose content is the result of various contributors. Crowdfunding, on the other hand, involves a more specific request: the crowd is solicited for financial contributions to a particular venture or cause, such as a film project or cancer research.
Examples of crowdfunding in a Sentence
Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025
An online crowdfunding effort has raised more than $500,000 toward his legal defense.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2025
The contribution section links to a Give Send Go crowdfunding website that his supporters created to help pay for his legal expenses.
—Lorena O'Neil, Rolling Stone, 14 Feb. 2025
As part of his announcement, Ament asked fans to influence his final decision via NIL crowdfunding site Fanstake.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 15 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crowdfunding
Cite this Entry
“Crowdfunding.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crowdfunding. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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