finance
Americannoun
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the management of revenues; the conduct or transaction of money matters generally, especially those affecting the public, as in the fields of banking and investment.
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finances, the monetary resources, as of a government, company, organization, or individual; revenue.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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the system of money, credit, etc, esp with respect to government revenues and expenditures
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funds or the provision of funds
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(plural) funds; financial condition
verb
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(tr) to provide or obtain funds, capital, or credit for
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(intr) to manage or secure financial resources
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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financeableadjective
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well-financedadjective
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prefinanceverb (used with object)
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superfinancenoun
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underfinanceverb (used with object)
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self-financeverb (used with object)
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unfinancedadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has financedperfect 3rd person singular
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have financedperfect
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am financingprogressive 1st person singular
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financessingular 3rd person
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is financingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are financingprogressive
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has been financingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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financingparticiple
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have been financingperfect progressive
Past
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had financedperfect
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were financingprogressive plural
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was financingprogressive singular
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financedsimple
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had been financingperfect progressive
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financedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of finance
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English finaunce, from Anglo-French, Middle French finance, from fin(er) “to end, settle, pay” ( see fine 2) + -ance -ance
Explanation
To finance something is to pay for it, like using the money you earn at your part-time job to finance your cell phone bill. As a verb, it carries two very different meanings: "to pay for" or "obtain on credit." So, if you can finance your trip, it means you have the money to pay for it. Anyone who works in finance, meaning the banking and investment industry, will tell you plenty of people get in trouble by letting credit cards finance things like vacations.
Vocabulary lists containing finance
"Women in Aviation," Vocabulary from the informational text
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Richard Nixon's "Checkers" Speech (1952)
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Economics
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Typically managers use Hunter Point’s NAV loans to help a portfolio company finance an acquisition, he added, particularly if the firm has fully deployed its fund’s capital.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
Should long-term Treasury yields move higher from here, it would make the build-out of AI more expensive to finance in the debt markets.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026
Their customers finance the projects, and they often collect deposits or milestone payments before anything ships.
From Barron's • Jun. 6, 2026
Henry Nowak, from Chafford Hundred in Essex, was a first-year accountancy and finance student at the University of Southampton.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
“Your uncle was overseas finance manager, Alex,” he said.
From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
