foreign aid

noun

1. economic, technical, or military aid given by one nation to another for purposes of relief and rehabilitation, for economic stabilization, or for mutual defense.

foreign aid

noun

1. economic and other assistance given by one country to another

Other Word Forms

• foreign-aid adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of foreign aid¹

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

He’s dismantled U.S. humanitarian assistance to impoverished lands and put pressure on allies to spend more money on war preparations, not welfare programs or foreign aid.

Read more on Salon

Meanwhile, foreign aid has now started entering into Jamaica.

Read more on BBC

The U.S. provided some $550 million in foreign aid to Nigeria this year, compared with about $880 million the previous year, according to U.S. government data.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The U.S. in the 2025 fiscal year gave over $200 million in foreign aid to Colombia, according to U.S. government data.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In that vein, analysts at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a left-leaning think tank, believe the IMF should sell a portion of its large gold reserves to generate funds for foreign aid.

Read more on MarketWatch