afford

American  

[uh-fawrd] / əˈfɔrd /

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.

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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

• affordability noun
• affordable adjective

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

Example Sentences

"If people have got an empty tank they have to be able to afford to get the oil out to them in the first place."

From BBC

"We cannot afford to let Afghanistan fail," he said, warning that forgetting the region will had an even more destabilising effect in the world.

From Barron's

“If CarMax aspires to be a winner for decades, the company cannot afford structural inefficiencies,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

What seems undeniable, however, is that prices are high and people are struggling to afford them.

From BBC

You can afford them and you have earned them.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• grant
• offer
• provide