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Synonyms

bankroll

American  
[bangk-rohl] / ˈbæŋkˌroʊl /

noun

  1. money in one's possession; monetary resources.


verb (used with object)

  • bankrolls,
    present (3rd person singular)
  • bankrolled,
    past participle,  past
  • bankrolling
    present participle
  1. Informal. to finance; provide funds for.

    to bankroll a new play.

bankroll British  
/ ˈbæŋkˌrəʊl /

noun

  1. a roll of currency notes

  2. the financial resources of a person, organization, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. slang (tr) to provide the capital for; finance

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of bankroll

First recorded in 1885–90; bank 2 + roll

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:

The Hangzhou-based company is seeking to raise $7.4 billion to bankroll research and development, and its expansion into computing infrastructure, according to people familiar with the matter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

And once Stark Industries and Wayne Enterprises bankroll their respective super-squads’ fortified headquarters, they attract the universe’s talent.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

The company has long relied on this high-yielding equity as its primary engine to bankroll Bitcoin acquisitions—a strategy that backfires when the shares lose ground.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

Prosecutor Alexandra Healy KC said the former minister improperly allowed powerful men with lucrative government contracts in the oil business to bankroll her extravagant lifestyle.

From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026

Sportswriters argued that the rich event was a farce arranged to pad Seabiscuit’s bankroll.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Phil Knight, who bankrolls Oregon, turned Nike into an intercontinental empire that transformed the Ducks into a gridiron behemoth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026

It might seem wise to make room for smaller bankrolls in the city—the soul of Las Vegas is contingent on budget travelers—but those appeals are invariably ignored.

From Slate ● Nov. 18, 2025

In past years, this tiny desert nation has captured outsized attention largely because of the splashy real estate projects it bankrolls with proceeds from the world’s largest gas field.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2024

The American-based PGA Tour, Europe's DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which bankrolls LIV, surprised the golfing world last June when they announced a "framework agreement" to merge interests.

From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2024

What’s more, she had seen off these “Calibans of brute strength, enormous bankrolls and stupendous power” using only “Nature’s greatest resource, a radiant intellect.”

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

The high times, prosecutors seemed to imply, had been bankrolled by the Roebucks’ cash.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

Amazon has also bankrolled a Manhattan Beach production services company, Innovative Dream.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026

One group was inspired by Justin Shubow, a gadfly who has made a career out of opposing modern architecture, and bankrolled by Thomas Klingenstein, chairman of the conservative Claremont Institute.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026

Several Nigerian businessmen are alleged to have bankrolled huge spending sprees, including more than £2m at luxury store Harrods and £4.6m on refurbishing homes in London and Buckinghamshire.

From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2026

The biopic was bankrolled by Daniel Vorcaro, a jailed banker who is accused of orchestrating one of Brazil's largest financial fraud cases.

From Barron's

Despite its decision to stop bankrolling LIV Golf, PIF added it "remains committed" to its "substantial current and future investments in various sports as a priority sector".

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

That historic windfall has increasingly drawn Nvidia into bankrolling AI expansion through investments in startups.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

These ads better be bankrolling the most distressing movie ever made.

From Slate ● Feb. 8, 2026

Later, they bet on renewables, bankrolling enormous hydroelectric projects, solar fields and wind farms.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025

"Scott's bankrolling us. His mom keeps a change jar, so we've got plenty."

From "The Lemonade War" by Jacqueline Davies

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