afford

[ uh-fawrd ]

verb (used with object)

1. to be able to do, manage, or bear without serious consequence or adverse effect:

   The country can't afford another drought.

2. to be able to meet the expense of; have or be able to spare the price of:

   Can we afford a trip to Europe this year? The city can easily afford to repair the street.

3. to be able to give or spare:

   He can't afford the loss of a day.

4. to furnish; supply:

   The transaction afforded him a good profit.

5. to be capable of yielding or providing:

   The records afford no explanation.

6. to give or confer upon:

   to afford great pleasure to someone.

afford

/ əˈfɔːd /

verb

1. preceded bycan, could, etc to be able to do or spare something, esp without incurring financial difficulties or without risk of undesirable consequences

   I can afford to give you one of my chess sets

   we can't afford to miss this play

   we can afford to buy a small house

2. to give, yield, or supply

   the meeting afforded much useful information

Derived Forms

• afˌfordaˈbility, noun
• afˈfordable, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of afford¹

First recorded before 1050; Middle English aforthen, iforthen, Old English geforthian “to further, accomplish,” equivalent to ge- y- + forth forth + -ian infinitive suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of afford¹

Old English geforthian to further, promote, from forth forth ; the Old English prefix ge- was later reduced to a-, and the modern spelling (C16) is influenced by words beginning aff-

Example Sentences

These used and reconditioned devices have the potential to increase access to pacemaker therapy in low- and middle-income countries, where many patients cannot afford the treatment.

From Science Daily

"With my experience since '21," Verstappen says, "you just can’t afford bad results or massively missed opportunities that will at the end of the day really catch up with you in the championship."

From BBC

Though Saudi Arabia is not a democracy, its leaders cannot afford to ignore public sentiment, which has turned sharply against Israel.

From Los Angeles Times

But he also knows he could not afford to pay market rate.

From Los Angeles Times

"We cannot afford to undermine the progress achieved less than a year ago in Dubai".

From BBC

Related Words

• grant
• offer
• provide