Meanings
proper noun
- USabbreviationinitialismInitialism of National Science Foundation.
Those overall numbers are in line with Schumer's year-old plan to make NSF the spearpoint of a massive federal investment in research aimed at outinnovating China.
2021 May 28, Jeffrey Mervis, “Biden backs new NSF tech directorate, but Senate balks”, in Science
nounNSF pl (plural only)
- abbreviationinitialismpluralplural onlybankingInitialism of nonsufficient funds: the alert generated by a bounced check or an ACH transaction failure due to not enough money being in the account.
- Internetabbreviationinitialismpluralplural onlyacronymy componentInitialism of not safe for [context] or not suitable for [context]: labels online content as being not appropriate for, and not to be clicked or displayed in, the named context; for example, NSFW (work), NSFL (life or lunch), NSFM (minors).
- abbreviationinitialismpluralplural onlymedicineInitialism of Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis, a rare syndrome that involves fibrosis of the skin, joints, eyes, and internal organs.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounan independent agency of the federal government responsible for the promotion of progress in science and engineering by supporting programs in research and education
Similar
National Science Foundation
Broader
independent agency
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Cite this entry
APA
NSF. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/NSF
MLA
“NSF.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/NSF. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “NSF,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/NSF.
Source: NSF on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.