finance company

American  

noun

1. an institution engaged in such specialized forms of financing as purchasing accounts receivable, extending credit to retailers and manufacturers, discounting installment contracts, and granting loans with goods as security.

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finance company British  

noun

1. an enterprise engaged in the loan of money against collateral or speculatively to manufacturers and retailers, esp one specializing in the financing of hire-purchase contracts

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Etymology

Origin of finance company

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

One friend, a former senior executive at a finance company, had turned down several prestigious offers to join corporate boards and instead was planting a garden at her summer home in Maine and growing vegetables.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

“And then when the finance company says, ‘Oh, gee, sorry, we can’t actually get the loan on those terms, could you sign some worse terms?’

From MarketWatch • Oct. 27, 2025

In a survey by personal finance company Bankrate, 62% of respondents said their pay isn’t keeping up with prices—the highest share in four years.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 24, 2025

Tillman: One of the jobs I had, I was an assistant to the vice president of accounting and controls for a finance company, a world I knew nothing about.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 21, 2025

They passed a drugstore and a finance company and three banks.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt