afford
[ uh-fawrd, uh-fohrd ]
/ əˈfɔrd, əˈfoʊrd /
verb (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.
to furnish; supply: 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.
Nearby words
Origin of afford
Related formsun·af·ford·ed, adjective
Can be confusedaccord afford
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for afford
British Dictionary definitions for afford
afford
/ (əˈfɔːd) /
verb
(preceded by can, could, etc) to be able to do or spare something, esp without incurring financial difficulties or without risk of undesirable consequenceswe 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 supplythe meeting afforded much useful information
Derived Formsaffordable, adjectiveaffordability, noun
Word Origin for afford
Old English geforthian to further, promote, from forth forth; the Old English prefix ge- was later reduced to a-, and the modern spelling (C16) is influenced by words beginning aff-
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for afford
afford
Old English geforðian "to put forth, contribute; further, advance; carry out, accomplish," from ge- completive prefix (see a- (1)) + forðian "to further," from forð "forward, onward" (see forth).
Change of -th- to -d- took place late 16c. (and also transformed burthen and murther into their modern forms). Prefix shift to af- took place 16c. under mistaken belief that it was a Latin word in ad-. Notion of "accomplish" (late Old English) gradually became "manage to buy or maintain; have enough money (to do something)" (1833). Older sense is preserved in afford (one) an opportunity. Related: Afforded; affording.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper