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

Mr. Lowenstein, a Jets fan, is the author of “Ways and Means: Lincoln and His Cabinet and the Financing of the Civil War.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

Financing statements — meant to record legitimate business liens — are now a vehicle for conspiracy-laced claims, trillion-dollar demands and vendettas against politicians, businesses and public employees.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 6, 2026

Two measures of funding-market liquidity, known as the Secured Overnight Financing Rate and the Tri-Party General Collateral Rate, have both crept back above 4% during the past week, but remain off their late-October peaks.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 2, 2025

Financing for reconstruction of Gaza following two years of war would come from a trust fund backed by the World Bank, according to the resolution.

From BBC • Nov. 17, 2025

There are four fundamental activities in every business—Production, Marketing, Financing, and Accounting.

From Forging Ahead in Business by Various

Related Words

• expenditure
• funding
• loan
• outlay
• payment