fi·nance
fə-ˈnan(t)s 
ˈfī-ˌnan(t)s
ˈfī-ˌnan(t)s
fī-ˈnan(t)s
1
finances plural
: money or other liquid resources of a government, business, group, or individual
The library closed due to a lack of finances.
2
: the system that includes the circulation of money, the granting of credit, the making of investments, and the provision of banking facilities
3
: the science or study of the management of funds
An expert in finance predicts a global recession.
4
: the obtaining of funds or capital : financing
business expansion for which finance would otherwise be unavailable—
F. D. Roosevelt
F. D. Roosevelt
financed; financing
1
a
: to raise or provide funds or capital for
finance a new house
b
: to furnish with necessary funds
finance a son through college
2
: to sell something to (someone) on credit
Examples of finance in a Sentence
Noun
She's taking a course on personal finance.
an expert in finance who predicts global economic disaster
The library closed due to a lack of finances.
Verb
His parents financed his college education.
The study was financed by a government grant.
They financed him to study abroad.
Recent Examples on the Web
Lauren Villagran, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2025
If someone outside the usual finance or tech circles was interested, Bitcoin ETFs had officially gone beyond the hype and into real investment conversations.
—Sandy Carter, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025
Thea Traff, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
Medicaid, an $880 billion program, is financed mostly by taxpayers who fund roughly 80 percent of the costs for some states.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for finance
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
In his new role, the finance mogul will advise President Donald Trump on economic growth and job creation and will be tasked with carrying out one of the president's favorite economic power plays: tariffs.
—Lauren Villagran, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2025
If someone outside the usual finance or tech circles was interested, Bitcoin ETFs had officially gone beyond the hype and into real investment conversations.
—Sandy Carter, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025
Verb
Clooney had to mortgage his house to help finance the black-and-white film, which received six Oscar nominations, including for best screenplay.
—Thea Traff, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
Medicaid, an $880 billion program, is financed mostly by taxpayers who fund roughly 80 percent of the costs for some states.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for finance
Cite this Entry
“Finance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/finance. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
finance
1 of 2 noun
fi·nance
fə-ˈnan(t)s
ˈfī-ˌnan(t)s
ˈfī-ˌnan(t)s
fī-ˈnan(t)s
1
plural
: resources (as money) available to a government, person, group, or business
2
: the obtaining or providing of funds or capital
3
: the system that includes the circulation of money, the providing of banks and credit, and the making of investments
financial
adjective
fə-ˈnan-chəl
fī-
financially
adverb
-ˈnanch-(ə-)lē
finance
2 of 2 verb
financed; financing
: to provide money for
finance a trip
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share