financing

American  

[fi-nan-sing, fahy-nan-] / fɪˈnæn sɪŋ, ˈfaɪ næn- /

noun

1. the act of obtaining or furnishing money or capital for a purchase or enterprise.

2. the funds so obtained.

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Etymology

Origin of financing

First recorded in 1820–30; finance (verb) + -ing ¹

Explanation

Financing is the process of finding money for something you want. If you don't have enough money to buy the hot new video-game, you could try telling your parents that you need help financing your leisure activities. Notice the similarity between finance and finish? The root of both words is fin, which is Latin for "end," or "limit." Originally, financing meant ending a debt. If you owed money, you might ask a bank to finance you. Eventually people began asking banks for money even when they didn't owe anything. Now the word can be used to talk about getting money for almost any project, from a video-game purchase to a war.

Example Sentences

But demand for financing has boomed in their Wall Street trading businesses, which serve such clients as private-credit funds, hedge funds and institutional investors.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Allbirds shareholders will vote on the American Exchange Group deal and the new financing agreement at a meeting on May 18.

From Barron's • Apr. 16, 2026

By financing improvements through C-PACE programs, Clearwater is taking advantage of a niche business in an increasingly crowded market, where more property owners are turning to private nonbank lenders.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

In March, CoreWeave secured a unique $8.5 billion debt deal, marking the first investment-grade financing backed by graphics processing units.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026

Cleopatra, who would be financing the expedition, may have helped with the strategizing, too.

From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby

Related Words

• expenditure
• funding
• loan
• outlay
• payment