afford
Americanverb (used with object)
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to be able to do, manage, or bear without serious consequence or adverse effect.
The country can't afford another drought.
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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.
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to be able to give or spare.
He can't afford the loss of a day.
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The transaction afforded him a good profit.
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to be capable of yielding or providing.
The records afford no explanation.
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to give or confer upon.
to afford great pleasure to someone.
verb
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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
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to give, yield, or supply
the meeting afforded much useful information
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“There was a lot of cool old vintage recording gear that Jimmy could afford to maintain,” said Jamison.
Tom Beahon, who set up the company with his brother Phil in 2015, maintains that if fans could not afford to buy the official merchandise then the market would force prices down.
From BBC
“Capital is scarce in this industry. People cannot afford to waste it,” said Cole Smead, CEO of Smead Capital Management, in an interview.
From Barron's
“Capital is scarce in this industry. People cannot afford to waste it,” said Cole Smead, CEO of Smead Capital Management, in an interview.
From Barron's
Single-family rental companies say that they offer residents an opportunity to live in nice neighborhoods with good school districts where they would not be able to afford to own.
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.
