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Showing results for financial aid. Search instead for financial goals.
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.

MarketWatch’s Don’t Short Yourself: Join MarketWatch on April 22 for a live talk and Q&A on negotiating financial aid, managing loans and avoiding loan debt.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Across income levels, four years of college comes at a tremendous expense relative to most families’ earnings, even after factoring in financial aid.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 9, 2026

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

“I thought they had great financial aid there.”

From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart

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.