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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.

Appeared in the January 7, 2026, print edition as 'First Brands Financier Accused of Kickbacks'.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 6, 2026

Financier Bill Ackman, reduced to congratulations for the mayor-elect and even offers of support.

From Slate • Dec. 29, 2025

A French dessert that is very underrated but really easy to prepare and make it your own is a Financier.

From Salon • May 24, 2023

Among the four space tourists paying unspecified millions each were the first father-son combo: Financier Lane Bess and his son Cameron.

From Washington Times • Dec. 11, 2021

The Financier, therefore, in his report, well proposes that our Coins should be in decimal proportions to one another.

From Memoir, Correspondence, And Miscellanies, From The Papers Of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 1 by Randolph, Thomas Jefferson

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.