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
-
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
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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:
For the most recent quarter, Microsoft spent $41 billion on capital expenditures and finance leases, a lower amount than expected.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
Figures recorded at the observatory's headquarters serve as one of the key references for Hong Kong, according to the weather service, although temperatures can vary significantly in the densely built Chinese finance hub.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
Last summer, a viral Tiktoker crooned, “I’m looking for a man in finance, trust fund, six-five, blue eyes,” turning spreadsheet warriors into the season’s most eligible bachelors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
Hasna is charged with conspiring to provide material support to Hamas, conspiring to finance terrorism and financing terrorism.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
He still needed Egypt’s wealth to finance his army.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
The government, already in the red before the pandemic, secured a landmark debt restructuring with official and private creditors, unlocking an IMF bailout and easing pressure on public finances.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
In the three weeks since, Jonathan has spent hours watching videos about how to protect the family’s data and finances.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
WSJ | Buy Side: The top wealth-management firms generally offer a full suite of services to help you plan and manage all aspects of your finances.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
"We know the Home Office looks at the finances of the businesses now and whether their revenue or profit means they can pay the required salary."
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
And other immediate problems which Malcolm X faced included finances.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
If just half that is financed by bonds, that’s 15% of the historical annual gross issuance of non-financial companies worldwide.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
A sustained defense financed the conventional way would mean Tokyo unloading them at a moment when the yield on the 30-year U.S. bond has risen to its highest level since 2007.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Formerly, data centers were financed by the tech companies’ cash on hand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
"The first leg of the artificial-intelligence boom was financed with cash, confidence and some of the strongest balance sheets in corporate America," wrote Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
She is happy in the $45,000 Denali that they financed.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
And that could stimulate more activity for companies involved in building and financing these projects, which will eventually trickle down to the broader economy, the Wells Fargo team said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
Some ended up financing a boxy red skyscraper in downtown Tirana, Albania’s capital, and coastal villas, prosecutors said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
Hasna is charged with conspiring to provide material support to Hamas, conspiring to finance terrorism and financing terrorism.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
It has provided financing also to Air France-KLM and Virgin Atlantic.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
“Oh, it’s a terrific plan. It could really ramp up our timetable. Get us to our financing source sooner. I just have one concern. One qualm.”
From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
