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

Unable to afford a bed frame, he says he slept on a mattress on the floor of his council flat and felt a deep sense of abandonment and isolation.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

If Walters goes, Ohtani could demand a new contract with terms that a new cash-strapped owner cannot afford.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

In May 2019, a typical household making the median income of about $66,000 could afford a median-priced home in St. Louis at $185,000 with an interest rate of 4.1%.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026

And Paxton has noted that the expensive primary runoff left his coffers more depleted than those of Talarico, who could afford to spend the spring stockpiling his war chest after winning his March primary.

From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026

“Honey, we can’t afford to not fix the car,” Mom said.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

Street-side seating affords prime car spotting, which today includes a right-hand-drive Toyota Land Cruiser Prado SUV and an immaculate brown-on-tan Mercedes-Benz SL Pagoda two-seater.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Major cities throughout the States have seen crushing drops in Canadian tourism and business it affords to costly enterprises like ski resorts.

From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026

"We were able to identify an evolutionarily old region in the brainstem which affords this ability."

From Science Daily ● Jun. 24, 2026

But from the eighth floor the Center affords breathtaking views of Chicago’s glorious downtown and Lake Michigan.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 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

The 21-page document argues that the benefits afforded by such an addition make it both necessary and warranted.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

She deviates from the one-note mean girl role, supplying Gen with dimensionality and kindness that characters like these were rarely afforded.

From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026

International coaches are not afforded the same amount of time on the training pitch as club managers, so patience could be required if the plan is to move to a more possession-based style.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

The ruling concerns a travel provision afforded to recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the program created in 2012.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

My mom said once that education was a privilege not afforded to everyone, but she was wrong—it wasn’t a privilege.

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken

A reporter at the Times Herald covered my crime, stripped of context, affording neither of us humanity.

From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026

She has claimed the four-bedroom home as her primary residence since at least 2015, according to a county tax office employee, affording her a home exemption tax break.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

Bolivia's Juan Carlos Prado Angelo, who reached his first Grand Slam main draw at Roland Garros, says affording travel is "very difficult for every player" from South America.

From BBC ● May 27, 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

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

Related Words

• grant
• offer
• provide