Synonyms

afford

American

[uh-fawrd] / əˈfɔrd /

verb (used with object)

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

The country can't afford another drought.
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.
to be able to give or spare.

He can't afford the loss of a day.
to furnish; supply.

The transaction afforded him a good profit.
to be capable of yielding or providing.

The records afford no explanation.
to give or confer upon.

to afford great pleasure to someone.

afford British

/ əˈfɔːd /

verb

to be able to do or spare something, esp without incurring financial difficulties or without risk of undesirable consequences

we can afford to buy a small house
I can afford to give you one of my chess sets
we can't afford to miss this play
to give, yield, or supply

the meeting afforded much useful information

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of afford

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

Explanation

To afford means you have enough money or time for something. If you only have ten dollars on you, you can't afford to buy a twenty-dollar hat. Afford is a verb that has to do with means. You either have a surplus and therefore can afford something, or else you have a deficit and can’t. It can be in the monetary sense: "$100 for cashmere socks? I can’t afford that!” It can also refer to time: “Since my train wasn't scheduled to leave for another hour, I could afford to wait for my sister ten more minutes.” Or even access: “The castle walls afforded a wonderful view of the moat.”

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing afford

"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 1

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Beowulf vocabulary

Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!

Purple Hibiscus

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!

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.

The club cannot afford for history to repeat itself, but it is easy to forget the window only opened on 15 June.

From BBC • Jun. 24, 2026

But they couldn’t afford to bring the rest of the family with them, including Eugene’s younger sister and brother, who stayed in Scotland with their mom.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 24, 2026

Both periodically voted to uphold the rights of this group and afford them the due process guaranteed by the Constitution.

From Slate • Jun. 24, 2026

Others question how long the new housing will take to build -- and how they will afford rent in the interim.

From Barron's • Jun. 24, 2026

Never mind that she could not afford shoes and that she was always hungry.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023