afford

American  

[uh-fawrd] / əˈfɔrd /

verb (used with object)

• affords,
  present (3rd person singular)
• afforded,
  past participle,  past
• affording
  present participle

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.

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afford British  

/ əˈfɔːd /

verb

1. 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

2. to give, yield, or supply

   the meeting afforded much useful information

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• affordability
  noun
• affordable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• affording
  present
• afforded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• afford
  simple
• affords
  simple
• have afforded
  perfect
• has afforded
  perfect
• am affording
  progressive
• are affording
  progressive
• is affording
  progressive
• have been affording
  perfect progressive
• has been affording
  perfect progressive

Past

• afforded
  simple
• had afforded
  perfect
• was affording
  progressive
• were affording
  progressive
• had been affording
  perfect progressive

Future

• will afford
  simple
• will have afforded
  perfect
• will be affording
  progressive
• will have been affording
  perfect progressive

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.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

afford affords afforded affording

We couldn’t afford to buy there, so I commuted by ferry for years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

The business model was simple: You tell them how much you’re willing to invest in your new “home country,” and they tell you where you can afford to buy citizenship.

From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026

But they cannot afford to be lulled into a false sense of security.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

The more money you have, the more you can afford to ride out stock-market turmoil.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

Recalling his fall from the birch, he felt this log would afford a safer night’s lodging.

From "Abel's Island" by William Steig

But the nature of Dans’ role affords him more leeway than other appointees.

From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2026

When the shipping company finally wheels away the crates, Drolma affords herself a smile.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

While nearly half of small businesses fail within five years, Kyla Scanlon noted that ownership also affords greater opportunity.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026

Street-side seating affords prime car spotting, which today includes a right-hand-drive Toyota Land Cruiser Prado SUV and an immaculate brown-on-tan Mercedes-Benz SL Pagoda two-seater.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Where it doesn’t matter if no one affords you charity, or nostalgia for your memories.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

That means they don't have to operate flat out at all times and so grid operators will be afforded flexibility when they need it.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Prince Harry’s eligibility for full police protection, as afforded to other British royals and former prime ministers, was removed after the Sussexes quit royal duties in 2020.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

The setup has afforded Rushing more regular at-bats than initially expected when the Dodgers activated him this week.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

An audit after the program ended a decade later found the state had afforded nearly $1 billion in tax credits with little to show for it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

It afforded easy access to excellent rowing water on the sound.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

The beats are the ideal accompaniment for Ms. Badu in her experimental mode, affording her space to work through her range of vocal styles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

His mother was of European descent and his father was a Cantonese opera star who was on tour in the city, affording his son birthright citizenship.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026

In Jackson’s words, “Congress could not have meant for the guarantees it was affording to be so cavalierly swept aside.”

From Slate ● Jun. 23, 2026

If you have $2 million in investments, affording a $1 million home would be a piece of cake.

From MarketWatch ● May 11, 2026

There was even a porch outside, affording a beautiful view of the ancient Red Sea city.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

Related Words

• grant
• offer
• provide