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
Synonyms
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
Isadora Wandermurem, TIME, 7 Feb. 2025
Two California suburbs, the Bay Area city of Dublin and the Inland Empire city of Eastvale, ranked in the top 10 nationally in an analysis of the country’s fastest-growing wealthy suburbs by personal finance website GoBankingRates.
—Anna Lynn Winfrey, USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 2025
Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 8 Feb. 2025
Concerns from minority investors relate to whether the deal could dilute existing shareholders by forcing them to finance the investment in Skydance and undervalue Paramount.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 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
Annika’s company had been struggling financially, so Bosse took over the finances, leading to criminal practices including the very human trafficking of which Amanda was accusing him.
—Isadora Wandermurem, TIME, 7 Feb. 2025
Two California suburbs, the Bay Area city of Dublin and the Inland Empire city of Eastvale, ranked in the top 10 nationally in an analysis of the country’s fastest-growing wealthy suburbs by personal finance website GoBankingRates.
—Anna Lynn Winfrey, USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 2025
Verb
The law also included language that was meant to prevent the settlements from being used to finance programs that were previously funded by other sources of state or federal money.
—Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 8 Feb. 2025
Concerns from minority investors relate to whether the deal could dilute existing shareholders by forcing them to finance the investment in Skydance and undervalue Paramount.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for finance
Dictionary Entries Near finance
Cite this Entry
“Finance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/finance. Accessed 13 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