Endow
v.kind, hopefulformal
What it means
To provide a person or institution with a lasting resource, quality, or gift.
Reach for it when describing a substantial provision intended to endure
The bequest will endow a free annual residency for rural nurses.
Choose between these
6- playful
set up for life
when generous financial security warrants exaggeration
not when The idiom overpromises permanence and sounds crass around charitable purpose.
- everyday
equip
when tools or capabilities are supplied
not when Equipment supports action but does not carry endow's permanence or gift.
- professional
when supplying money for a defined purpose is enough
not when Funding may cover one cycle and does not imply lasting provision.
- formal
when a right, quality, or sum is formally bestowed
not when A grant can be temporary, conditional, and awarded through a process.
- formal
invest with
when an office or person receives authority or dignity
not when This phrase fits qualities and powers, not ordinary financial provision.
- literary
when ceremonious giving suits the context
not when Bestow emphasizes the act and status of giving, not durable support.
Said against
4- deprive
- strip
- defund
- withhold
It naturally appears in
3- endow a scholarship
Alumni raised enough to endow a scholarship for future conservators.
- richly endowed
The region is richly endowed with wind, water, and skilled craftspeople.
- endow someone with
The role does not endow someone with wisdom automatically.
Where this comes from
- wiktionary, English verb, verb sense meaning to provide permanently with money or a quality opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.