afford

verb af·ford \ ə-ˈfȯrd \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of afford

transitive verb

1 a : to manage to bear without serious detriment

You can't afford to neglect your health.

b : to be able to bear the cost of

can't afford to be out of work long

2 : to make available, give forth, or provide naturally or inevitably

The sun affords warmth to the earth.

a delay that will afford us more time

See afford defined for English-language learners

See afford defined for kids

Examples of afford in a Sentence

We were too poor to afford a doctor.
He'll be able to afford a house next year.
Don't spend more than you can afford.
They couldn't afford new coats for the children.
We can afford waiting a while longer.
All of the rooms afford views of the lake.
He was afforded the opportunity to work for a judge.

Recent Examples of afford from the Web

This is the most crucial takeaway of Zuckerberg’s testimony, miraculously buried in the media examining him with less critical rigor than was afforded to Jesse Eisenberg’s big-screen portrayal.

— lauren duca, Teen Vogue, "The Facebook Testimony Shows How Congress Is Out of Touch With American Life," 14 Apr. 2018
Bowman, a contract engineer who lives in Columbia City, said he's been up front with the Internal Revenue Service, refusing to file a tax return or pay taxes since 1999 without some accommodation afforded to him for his religious beliefs.

— maxine bernstein, OregonLive.com, "Man who cites opposition to abortion for not paying taxes wins Round 1 in court," 12 Apr. 2018
Briley replied that time is not a luxury currently afforded to the city by the feds.

— thomas jewell, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Heights plans to borrow $640,000 for consent decree sewer equipment," 11 Apr. 2018
Michigan's recruiting opportunities afforded by the game.

— steve lorenz, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan football recruiting: 5 key prospects to keep an eye on," 10 Apr. 2018
An extra layer of protection is afforded by the European People’s Party, the centre-right pan-EU political group of which Fidesz remains a member in good standing.

— The Economist, "The EU is tolerating—and enabling—authoritarian kleptocracy in Hungary," 5 Apr. 2018
An additional duty would further relegate Tesla into a niche market, afforded only by the wealthiest.

— bloomberg, latimes.com, "Tesla is especially vulnerable to Chinese electric-car tariffs," 4 Apr. 2018
An additional duty would further relegate Tesla into a niche marque only afforded by the most wealthy.

— Bloomberg.com, "Tesla Facing Risk of Steeper China Taxes Adds to Musk's Woes," 4 Apr. 2018
Like individuals who agree to face experimental medical risks in exchange for a potential therapeutic benefit, Brown chose to engage the Autopilot mode in exchange for the rewards and the excitement afforded to him by this experimental technology.

— mark geistfeld, Time, "Why the Next Person Hit by a Driverless Car Might Not Be Able to Sue," 30 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'afford.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of afford

respelling (after Latin borrowings with initial aff-) of Middle English iforthen, aforthen, going back to Old English geforðian "to send out, promote, carry out," from ge-, perfective prefix + forðian "to send out, promote," verbal derivative of forþ "forth, forward" — more at co-, ¹forth

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

afford Synonyms

Synonyms

go, swing;

Related Words

cover;

expend, finance, outlay, pay (for), pony up, spring (for);

pick up, purchase, take;

acquire, get, obtain, procure, secure;

bid, offer;

bankroll, endow, subsidize, underwrite;

Synonym Discussion of afford

give, present, donate, bestow, confer, afford mean to convey to another as a possession. give, the general term, is applicable to any passing over of anything by any means.

- give alms
- gave her a ride on a pony
- give my love to your mother

present carries a note of formality and ceremony.

- present an award

donate is likely to imply a publicized giving (as to charity).

- donate a piano to the orphanage

bestow implies the conveying of something as a gift and may suggest condescension on the part of the giver.

- bestow unwanted advice

confer implies a gracious giving (as of a favor or honor).

- confer an honorary degree

afford implies a giving or bestowing usually as a natural or legitimate consequence of the character of the giver.

- the trees afford shade
- a development that affords us some hope

AFFORD Defined for English Language Learners

afford

verb

Definition of afford for English Language Learners

: to be able to pay for (something)
: to be able to do (something) without having problems or being seriously harmed
: to supply or provide (something needed or wanted) to someone