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Synonyms

bankroll

American  
[bangk-rohl] / ˈbæŋkˌroʊl /

noun

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

verb (used with object)

  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

  • bankroller noun

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.

Big Tech has the balance sheets and the electricity addiction to bankroll what the U.S. government has spent 50 years failing to do.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026

It also matters because Ellison could bankroll his son’s media deals largely thanks to Oracle’s soaring stock.

From Slate • Mar. 20, 2026

The universe of people willing and able to bankroll that — and who had control of an NFL team — was tiny.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 12, 2026

SoftBank founder Masayashi Son has been one of OpenAI’s most prominent backers, and now SoftBank has shed a big investment in AI chip maker Nvidia to bankroll that investment.

From Barron's • Nov. 12, 2025

I decided against it, though, since, unless one has a large bankroll, the rate at which one wins money is too slow to be worth the time and intense concentration required.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

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.