afford

[uh-fawrd, uh-fohrd]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR afford ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Origin of afford

before 1050; Middle English aforthen, iforthen, Old English geforthian to further, accomplish, equivalent to ge- y- + forth forth + -ian infinitive suffix

Related formsun·af·ford·ed, adjective

Can be confusedaccord afford

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for affords

manage, allow, provide, grant, offer, support, bear, sustain, incur, stand, spare, render, supply, yield, bestow, impart, furnish

Examples from the Web for affords

Contemporary Examples of affords

Part of the experience with any tobacco is the relationship it affords with time.
Is That Pipe Tobacco Locally Grown?
Justin Green
April 14, 2013
Is it pompous to wonder why, as a working journalist, Wikipedia affords the other guy that title?
The Dangers of Trusting Wikipedia With Your Life
Michael Moynihan
April 2, 2013
What a majority of Israelis support is the principle of separation that the “two-state solution” affords.
Apartheid Ambiguity
Yousef Munayyer
November 5, 2012
Running Hyde Park in the early morning affords a blend of sights, sounds, and, yes, smells.
Running the World
Michael Chertoff
July 25, 2009
He will take them into the lighthouse and up the spiral staircase to the top, which affords a spectacular view of the Arabian Sea.
An Excerpt from Between the Assassinations
Aravind Adiga
June 10, 2009

Historical Examples of affords

This Causse affords some interesting facts for evolutionists.
The Roof of France
Matilda Betham-Edwards
Yet, today, it hardly more than affords me room to roost on.
Welsh Fairy Tales
William Elliott Griffis
It affords an adequate idea of the march of facts and of ideas.
Initiation into Philosophy
Emile Faguet
My present situation, I am sure, thought I, affords a sad evidence of this truth!
Clarissa, Volume 3 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
The present affords just cause for satisfaction; the future is bright with hope.
Latin America and the United States
Elihu Root

British Dictionary definitions for affords

afford

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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for affords

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.