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
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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financesimple
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financessimple
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have financedperfect
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has financedperfect
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am financingprogressive
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are financingprogressive
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is financingprogressive
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have been financingperfect progressive
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has been financingperfect progressive
Past
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financedsimple
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had financedperfect
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was financingprogressive
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were financingprogressive
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had been financingperfect progressive
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.
Binance pleaded guilty in 2023 to U.S. anti-money-laundering and sanctions violations, paying a $4.3 billion fine.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026
Last October, Trump pardoned Changpeng Zhao, the billionaire founder of the cryptocurrency firm Binance.
From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026
Binance said last week it withdrew a license application filed in Greece that would have allowed the exchange to offer its services across the EU from July under the bloc’s new crypto regulations.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026
The EU’s markets regulator had privately advised national authorities to block any Binance application, citing concerns about the exchange’s compliance with financial-crime rules, according to people familiar with the discussions.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026
Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, didn’t receive an EU operating license before a July 1 deadline.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026
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.
