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

But Europe can ill afford to anger China.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

A diabetic, the 65-year-old said he couldn’t afford insulin and the local clinic rarely has syringes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Then Urbagestión raised the rent to a level more in line with market prices, but Abascal couldn’t afford it on her €1,450 monthly pension.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

What I can’t seem to afford is saying “no” to my children.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

If the town can’t afford to replace the old heating system in an elementary school, they probably don’t have it in the budget to pay for baby trees.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

The Baku street circuit has a long straight that affords good overtaking possibilities and has a reputation for producing incident-packed races.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

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

From Salon ● Sep. 16, 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

None of the patrons appear to be dedicated readers of Thrasher or Quartersnacks, which affords Elsesser a preferable anonymity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

I shake my head, muttering darkly on shaded paths, holding conversation with the only friend and comfort this world affords, my shadow.

From "Grendel" by John Gardner

A higher value indicates a higher debt burden relative to what can be afforded.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

Dawson was helped by the combination of turn and bounce on offer from the surface, something Ahmed was not afforded earlier in the series.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

She wants to see Native Americans take an even stronger leadership role going forward, pointing to rights afforded to them by state law.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

Golding said that the sweep was simply a convenience afforded by a player’s father who works for the bureau.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Similarly mournful love songs were cropping up all over Europe during this period, their woeful lyrics gaining popularity in courts, noble houses, and other places where a sheet of printed music could be afforded.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

For example, in the first half of 2027, Panmure expects inflation to fall significantly, affording central banks the room to lower interest rates.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026

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

The practice of encouraging defendants to plead guilty to crimes, rather than affording them the benefit of a full trial, has always carried its risks and downsides.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Related Words

• grant
• offer
• provide