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
Bronwyn Thompson, New Atlas, 29 May 2025
Nicaraguan journalists, exiled in Costa Rica because of the dictatorship at home, launched a crowdfunding campaign following the U.S. cuts.
—Nelson Mauricio Rauda Zablah, Christian Science Monitor, 23 May 2025
In March, Picnic did its first crowdfunding campaign to raise money to secure a permanent space in Pasadena.
—Ilana Kaplan, People.com, 20 May 2025
That’s about to change as a wave of new documentaries are under development, often via crowdfunding campaigns, to bring their stories to a wider audience.
—Rob Salkowitz, Forbes.com, 16 May 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 6 Jun. 2025.
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