finance
Americannoun
-
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.
-
finances, the monetary resources, as of a government, company, organization, or individual; revenue.
verb (used with object)
-
finances,
present (3rd person singular)
-
financed,
past participle, past
-
financing
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
finances,
present (3rd person singular)
-
financed,
past participle, past
-
financing
present participle
noun
-
the system of money, credit, etc, esp with respect to government revenues and expenditures
-
funds or the provision of funds
-
(plural) funds; financial condition
verb
-
(tr) to provide or obtain funds, capital, or credit for
-
(intr) to manage or secure financial resources
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
superfinancenoun
-
prefinanceverb (used with object)
-
self-financeverb (used with object)
-
underfinanceverb (used with object)
-
financeableadjective
-
unfinancedadjective
-
well-financedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
financesimple
-
financessimple
-
have financedperfect
-
has financedperfect
-
am financingprogressive
-
are financingprogressive
-
is financingprogressive
-
have been financingperfect progressive
-
has been financingperfect progressive
Past
-
financedsimple
-
had financedperfect
-
was financingprogressive
-
were financingprogressive
-
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.
See Examples For:
Countries have still not agreed on how to tackle harmful subsidies, better finance the protection of Earth's land and oceans, and boost corporate contributions to a near-empty UN conservation fund.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
They sell future receivables to MCA funders in exchange for fast cash at high effective finance costs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Behavioral finance has long found that people get analysis paralysis after about 30 options.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
UK government finance minister Emma Reynolds said the cash was part of a £445m package aimed at tackling years of "chronic under-investment" in rail.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
When Steve Eisman stumbled into this new, rapidly growing industry of specialty finance, the mortgage bond was about to be put to a new use: making loans that did not qualify for government guarantees.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
The results have been unable to soothe investor worries about the eye-watering amounts firms are pumping into AI and when that will see a profit, while surging borrowing costs are fuelling fears over company finances.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
The high debt and deficit figures mark a stark turnaround in the country’s finances since the turn of the century.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
In response to rising energy prices, Healey has announced measures, including a £100 support payment, aimed at easing pressure on household finances.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
‘We fear financial exploitation’: Who will manage our finances if my wife and I become incapacitated?
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
But they’d learned the hard way that funerals were expensive, that hiring lawyers was even worse, that when you lost a loved one, it sucked your finances dry.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
The film was financed by A24, which gave Fielder and Oppenheim unusual freedom to pursue the project without any deadline or obligation to turn what they captured into a finished film.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
"Investors will reward growth and monetisation, yet they're also becoming more sensitive to how the next leg of investment is financed and what it means for existing shareholders."
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
The board ultimately rejected the offer, with investors questioning how the deal would be financed.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
Higher rates don’t change underlying demand for the buildout, even though it does matter for debt and how the investment gets financed, Ives adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
He financed him for two weeks and at the end of that time Gay was in jail on his wife’s charge and he never did go for turtles.
From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
Alternatives to traditional financing are important for businesses turned away by other lenders and need timely access to cash, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
One deal obligated Triways to pay an estimated $674,550 in exchange for $427,500, according to financing documents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
“The Senators elected this November — and likely the president elected in 2028 — will be the leaders who determine what to do about Social Security’s financing gap.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
Kozack cited the country's severe financing constraints from before the outbreak of the war, and said its very narrow non-oil revenue base was also putting pressure on the fiscal balance.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
He was very busy with his politics and his business, traveling constantly, financing new political campaigns, buying land and tractors, raising race horses, and speculating on the price of gold, sugar, and paper.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
