finance
Americannoun
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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.
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finances, the monetary resources, as of a government, company, organization, or individual; revenue.
verb (used with object)
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finances,
present (3rd person singular)
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financed,
past participle, past
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financing
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
finances,
present (3rd person singular)
-
financed,
past participle, past
-
financing
present participle
noun
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the system of money, credit, etc, esp with respect to government revenues and expenditures
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funds or the provision of funds
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(plural) funds; financial condition
verb
-
(tr) to provide or obtain funds, capital, or credit for
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(intr) to manage or secure financial resources
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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superfinancenoun
-
prefinanceverb (used with object)
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self-financeverb (used with object)
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underfinanceverb (used with object)
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financeableadjective
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unfinancedadjective
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well-financedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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financesimple
-
financessimple
-
have financedperfect
-
has financedperfect
-
am financingprogressive
-
are financingprogressive
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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:
The company’s chief financial officer, Humphrey Singer, was finance chief at Marks & Spencer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
So could the TUC's revenue-raising measure be counter-productive and threaten jobs in finance?
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
The plan has also sparked criticism from some leaders in finance, including Stanley Druckenmiller, a billionaire investor and mentor.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
I’m Genna Contino, an award-winning journalist on MarketWatch’s personal finance team.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
I guess it’s possible she might have been stowed away in a corner, reading a boring finance book.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
The Office of Government Ethics requires officials to report their finances differently in their first year on the job.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
In an interview with the BBC on Monday, Healey did not rule out tax increases in the Budget, with a recent increase in government borrowing costs piling pressure on the public finances.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Schulz said it’s important to talk to parents about their finances even when such talks can be uncomfortable or even taboo in your family.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
“They work abroad, and all the finances they gather there, they could invest here.”
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
They re concerned about their own finances, too.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
A bilateral investment committee then reviews the projects, which would be financed by South Korean state funds, and makes recommendations to Trump.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Yes, because they have withstood the loss of huge names to a breakaway tour that has been financed to the tune of $5bn and that tour has now filed for bankruptcy protection.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
How he financed it: Down payment of 21%, 23-year mortgage, rate was 9.6%.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
The project, now estimated to cost roughly $400 million, is supposedly being financed through private donations rather than a congressional appropriation.
From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026
She is happy in the $45,000 Denali that they financed.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
The Boring Company on Thursday said it had closed a Series D financing round led by the United Arab Emirates and its affiliates that values the company at $23 billion.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
Its relationships with SoftBank, OpenAI and Nvidia stretch the possibilities of circular financing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Navion Neurosciences, a Charlottesville, Va.-based startup developing precision medicines for neurological diseases, secured $10.8 million in seed financing led by the Angelini Lumira Biosciences Fund.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Countries must implement policies that encourage informal-sector workers to register with the tax authorities, facilitate access to financing and create infrastructure needed to accommodate small entrepreneurs.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 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
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.
