foreign aid

American

noun

economic, technical, or military aid given by one nation to another for purposes of relief and rehabilitation, for economic stabilization, or for mutual defense.

foreign aid British

noun

economic and other assistance given by one country to another

"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

Other Word Forms

foreign-aid

adjective

Etymology

Origin of foreign aid

First recorded in 1955–60

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 Cuban government does not, as a practice, reject foreign aid that is offered in good faith,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

The symbolic significance of an independent agency for foreign aid is powerful too.

From Slate • Apr. 23, 2026

Afghanistan is in the middle of a humanitarian crisis, compounded by drought and huge cuts in foreign aid, rights groups say.

From Barron's • Apr. 20, 2026

Reform would not send money abroad to fund foreign aid and would shut Welsh government offices in China, he said.

From BBC • Mar. 5, 2026

They took him immediately to Thysville, which is about a hundred kilometers south of Léopoldville over the best road in this nation, repaved recently with a grant of foreign aid.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023