afford
Americanverb (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.
-
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.
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
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
affordsimple
-
affordssimple
-
have affordedperfect
-
has affordedperfect
-
am affordingprogressive
-
are affordingprogressive
-
is affordingprogressive
-
have been affordingperfect progressive
-
has been affordingperfect progressive
Past
-
affordedsimple
-
had affordedperfect
-
was affordingprogressive
-
were affordingprogressive
-
had been affordingperfect progressive
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.”
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.
See Examples For:
Instead, some are buying local lettuce if they can afford it and live near growers, according to Ernest Baskin, chair of the food, pharma and healthcare department at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
Corner-shop owners like Günes say they can’t afford to just sell bread on Sundays.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
In 1978, a Clearwater, Fla., radio station accepted 112 electric can openers from an advertiser who could not afford to pay for commercial time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
Fans in New York unable to secure -- or afford -- a ticket to the final flocked to quirky watch parties.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
“We can’t afford a specialist,” I told him.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
The more Mary affords grace to others, the more she gains confidence in who she is, as a person with a strong moral compass forged away from her mother’s ambitions.
From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026
"We were able to identify an evolutionarily old region in the brainstem which affords this ability."
From Science Daily ● Jun. 24, 2026
“For the first time in this litigation, the government argues that civil detention ‘does not implicate any fundamental rights’ and so the Due Process Clause affords the detained men no protections—substantive or procedural,” they wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026
That affords the company little room for error, Lee said in a Tuesday note, and he found something else to quibble with in the latest report.
From MarketWatch ● May 5, 2026
The legend of Peugeot affords us a good example.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
“GEO ensures detainees are afforded the necessary tools, equipment, and personal protective equipment ... to safely and effectively perform any necessary tasks,” the settlement states.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
"Confirming or denying that information is held would reveal whether protection had been afforded to a specific individual other than the King and the prime minister," the Met said in reply to us.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
Mr. Beck derided the “Douglas Factors” that ensure consideration is given on adverse actions that discipline is afforded commensurate with the actions of each employee and not done with disparate influence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
It first lays out protections afforded to LPRs, declaring that they “shall not” be compelled to prove that they satisfy the requirements for legal entry “unless” one of six exceptions applies.
From Slate ● Jun. 23, 2026
He immediately offered to fetch her others; all that his library afforded.
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
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
“The first days at home with a newborn should be focused on the love, connection, and joy of an expanded family, not stress about affording diapers,” Johnson said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026
Sixty-eight percent of New Yorkers have experienced issues with affording healthcare, and 66% have delayed or gone without care due to cost.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 23, 2026
However, one could reasonably expect an AI-related positive productivity shock to further lift the nominal equilibrium rate, affording the Fed time to wait out the latest round of supply shocks and inflationary pressure.
From Barron's ● Mar. 27, 2026
Mr. Gonzalez, thereupon, grew quite manic and fired Gloria immediately, affording himself an opportunity at authority which, I could see, he rarely enjoyed.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
