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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Richard Nixon's "Checkers" Speech (1952)
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Economics
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
While Microsoft discloses figures for finance leases, adding them to the cash paid for property and equipment doesn’t tie out to the $145.3 billion total, and the company provides no reconciliation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Iceland's government intends to carve out a "special arrangement" to protect fishing and agriculture, and the finance minister says they are confident of getting "some exemptions".
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
But proposals circulating earlier this week had revealed that officials from the finance ministry, led by the centre-left SPD party, were pushing for a wider range of drinks to be covered.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
She planned to pursue a career in finance and marry a man who would agree to live at her mother’s house forever, Leffler recalled with a laugh.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Swimmers, fencers, and dozens of other teams were being asked to finance or partially finance their fare to Berlin.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
Azure is second, yet its finances remain a black box.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Rusch called it “sub-scale,” noting that the “key debate on the stock” is Kodiak’s poor finances.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
I won't take risks with people's jobs or their livelihoods or their family finances.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Last year, the Johnson administration hired the consulting firm Ernst & Young to recommend improvements to city finances.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
As Pearl learned more about her new hometown, Moody began to learn more about Mia’s art, and the intricacies and vagaries of the Warren family finances.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
It was financed by venture capital firms and hedge funds, and aimed to increase profits from overseas clients.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
Buying back long-dated bonds would likely be financed with more short-term Treasury bill issuance.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 23, 2026
BRP says that up to 70% of all transactions are financed “making this an important factor in purchasing decisions.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
You did two things with this special that were really important — you financed it yourself and you also shot it in the Twin Cities, where you live currently.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Sachs had already started an organization called the Global Fund, financed by governments and foundations, with the hope of raising billions of dollars to fight AIDS, malaria, and TB.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
The company has faced increasing questions about circular financing through investments in its own startup clients, helping them pay for Nvidia's products.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
At the time, rival bidders expressed concern over the unusual financing, but state insurance regulators cleared the deal and Major League Baseball approved it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
IDG Capital—a China-focused venture-capital firm—led the financing, with participation from Gaorong Ventures, plus Alibaba Group and Tencent Holdings as strategic investors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
The Securities and Exchange Commission has sought information from banks that provided financing to Situational Awareness, according to people familiar with the matter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
We spent our time, significantly, between the three- block section on Auburn Street where Negro financing and industry controls some eighty million dollars, and the section of the six Negro colleges.
From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin
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.
