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Synonyms

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.

The school is especially appealing to families who don’t qualify for need-based financial aid in the U.S., but still want a good deal.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026

It came after they handed out financial aid packages to families based on their own needs assessment, overlooking a list of beneficiaries provided by the Houthis.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

The biggest portion of the spending, 47.4%, went to student financial aid.

From Barron's • Feb. 14, 2026

“From my personal experience as a first-generation, low-income college student, I know that navigating financial aid can feel overwhelming,” DiFonzo said.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 29, 2026

All the colleges I applied to accepted me, but none offered me a scholarship or any other financial aid.

From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola

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.