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financial aid

American  
[fi-nan-shuhl eyd, fahy-] / fɪˈnæn ʃəl ˈeɪd, faɪ- /

noun

  1. monetary support, as a loan or scholarship, that is used to pay for school, especially higher education.

    I don’t qualify for need-based financial aid, so I’ll have to hope I’m awarded a merit-based grant.

Etymology

Origin of financial aid

First recorded in 1770–80, for an earlier sense

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.

While prison sentences are virtually non-existent, failing to do so can also lead to an individual being made ineligible for federal student financial aid and federal jobs.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

At UCLA, the master’s of social welfare — which runs for eight quarter sessions — amounts to more than $65,000 for California residents without financial aid.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

The good news is that after accounting for financial aid and adjusting for inflation, college costs have moderated in the last six years.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

But she didn’t know how to apply for financial aid, and neither did her parents.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 21, 2026

“I couldn’t get any financial aid either,” Mark went on.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

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.