financing
Americannoun
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the act of obtaining or furnishing money or capital for a purchase or enterprise.
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the funds so obtained.
Etymology
Origin of financing
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Iran will also need financing, yet its wealthy neighbors are more interested in “Iran-proofing” their own economies—see Saudi Arabia’s $250 billion rail-and-pipeline project to bypass the Persian Gulf.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 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
The sharp rise in gold and silver prices has been a boon for an entire industry, including often overlooked businesses such as retail sales, wholesale trading, and metals financing.
From Barron's • Apr. 16, 2026
While CoreWeave has received criticism for its debt load, the company has pushed back against concerns of unsustainable financing by highlighting the demand-driven nature of its borrowing.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026
At my mother’s insistence, she, too, began school; the burden of financing both our educations rested entirely on my mother, even though my father tried to help from time to time.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
