refinance

verb

re·​fi·​nance ˌrē-fə-ˈnan(t)s 

(ˌ)rē-ˈfī-ˌnan(t)s,

ˌrē-(ˌ)fī-ˈnan(t)s

refinanced; refinancing; refinances

transitive + intransitive

: to renew or reorganize the financing of something : to provide for (an outstanding indebtedness) by making or obtaining another loan or a larger loan on fresh terms

refinance a mortgage

With rates tumbling, pay a little more now and retain the flexibility to refinance again next year.

—Daniel Kadlec

Examples of refinance in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Under the previous deal, the bonds were tied up with gate revenues, which took a hit during the pandemic, so the club’s owners — via Lewis — refinanced the loans, incurring a £32m break cost to end the loan sooner than planned. —Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025

Applications to refinance a home loan, which are most sensitive to weekly rate changes, increased 1% for the week and were 20% higher than the same week one year ago. —Diana Olick, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025

Currently, the city must pay off a $500,000 bridge loan and other debts, which, if not refinanced or altered, will possibly result in the city filing for bankruptcy by November, Kennedy wrote. —Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2025

Suggesting timely offers or refinancing options By monitoring trends in behavior and account activity, lenders can reset repayment schedules or adjust credit lines before customers fall behind. —Maulikkumar Pandya, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1995, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for refinance

• circumstance
• exceedance
• happenstance
• advance
• askance
• enhance
• expanse
• finance
• freelance
• mischance
• perchance
• romance

Legal Definition

refinance

1 of 2 transitive verb

re·​fi·​nance ˌrē-fə-ˈnans, -ˈfī-ˌnans 

1

: to renew or reorganize the financing of

2

: to revise the terms of (a debt obligation) especially in regard to interest rate or payment schedule

refinance a mortgage

intransitive verb

: to finance something anew

refinance

2 of 2 noun

: a financing of something anew

especially : a revision of the terms of a debt obligation (as a mortgage)