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Synonyms

financier

American  
[fin-uhn-seer, fahy-nuhn-, fi-nan-see-er] / ˌfɪn ənˈsɪər, ˌfaɪ nən-, fɪˈnæn si ər /

noun

  1. a person skilled or engaged in managing large financial operations, whether public or corporate.

verb (used with object)

  1. to finance.

verb (used without object)

  1. to act as a financier.

financier British  
/ fɪˈnænsɪə, faɪ- /

noun

  1. a person who is engaged or skilled in large-scale financial operations

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of financier

From French, dating back to 1610–20; see origin at finance, -ier 2

Explanation

A financier is someone who handles big clients and big financial transactions. A financier is the high-profile star of a company and the envy of the overworked entry-level workers. The suffix -ier in financier tells you that this word refers to a person who has something to do with finance. But where does the word finance come from? Long ago, it meant "to settle or end a debt," which you can see in fin, the Old French word for "end." But as financial work evolved, it came to also encompass taxation and revenue, not just debt collection.

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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.

The 56-year-old lawyer and financier argued that the Fed’s forward guidance attempts to tell the world “what its dots will be, what its forecasts will be.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026

The immediate beneficiaries of Swalwell’s fall are likely former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter and billionaire financier Tom Steyer.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

Reporters for mainstream and right-wing outlets alike admitted they had no idea why the first lady chose that particular moment to go on the record about her relationship with the deceased financier.

From Salon • Apr. 13, 2026

US lawmakers have repeatedly - and unsuccessfully - called for her former husband to answer questions about his links to the late American financier and sex offender.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

In New York, the sisters arranged a magnetic healing session with multimillionaire financier and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

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.