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.
-
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)
-
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
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funds or the provision of funds
-
(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)
-
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
-
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
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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:
“What has emerged is what I would call the upper-middle-class option,” said Ted Rossman, principal consumer finance analyst at Money Management International, a credit-counseling organization.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
She said three food banks had contacted them directly about concerns with stock and finance, and six in total had to put out emergency appeals for donations on social media.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
In parallel, investors, pension funds and insurers need to finance spending or meet contractual payouts.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
Jasmine Li is a reporter covering banks and finance for The Wall Street Journal in New York.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
It might be the black Mercedes of the casque-bleus, Mobutu’s deputies come to take our measly harvest to help finance another palace.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Meanwhile, consumer sentiment in the U.K. edged higher as perceptions of personal finances and the economy improved, data also published Friday showed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Local residents said filling up their vehicles was also putting pressure on household finances.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
But by following year, the nonprofit’s finances had begun to falter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
Their volatile finances make them America’s unpredictable millionaires.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
This was a woman who would check up on the finances of charities she gave to.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Many of the apartments were financed with the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, a decades-old federal tax incentive.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
In the second quarter of 2026, a record 36.5% of all financed new-vehicle buyers signed a loan of 73 months — more than six years — or longer, according to Edmunds data.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
Additionally, roughly 90% of CoreWeave’s capital outlays are financed through delayed draw term loans secured directly by Nvidia hardware assets, creating a tangible collateral base for lenders.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
"They financed wars, shaped modern industry, and built ports, canals and thriving cities, helping make Britain a global and imperial force," Pettigrew said.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
He financed him for two weeks and at the end of that time Gay was in jail on his wife’s charge and he never did go for turtles.
From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
Joshua's agreement with the Saudi organisers financing the event stipulated the contest would take place in Britain and would have had to be renegotiated for a move to the United States.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
The Boulder, Colo.-based company will use the new financing to fund later-stage human trials.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Investors wary of CoreWeave’s leverage levels may be overlooking the safeguards built into the company’s financing structures, Keirstead continued.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
Across Europe, consumers are generally operating from an overall healthier financing foundation, paying a higher percentage of the purchase price in cash with less reliance on finance, according to Thor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 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.
