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)
verb (used without object)
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
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(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
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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financesimple
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financessimple
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have financedperfect
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has financedperfect
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am financingprogressive
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are financingprogressive
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is financingprogressive
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have been financingperfect progressive
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has been financingperfect progressive
Past
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financedsimple
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had financedperfect
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was financingprogressive
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were financingprogressive
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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.
"There are many indications that we are in a bubble," said Itay Goldstein, a finance professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.
From Barron's • Jun. 26, 2026
China doesn’t intend to fully replace the dollar, which powers roughly 80% of global trade finance.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026
The City Council has said it will finance $65 million for solar-powered streetlights.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2026
“As the free float increases with more insider sales, there’s going to also be increased demand from the index funds,” Nikolai Roussanov, a professor of finance at the University of Pennsylvania, told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 26, 2026
They signed a loyalty oath to get their pay from the finance officer, to obtain their PX supplies, to have their hair cut by the Italian barbers.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
