afford

verb

af·​ford ə-ˈfȯrd 

afforded; affording; affords

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

Synonyms of afford

• go
• get

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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 on the Web

But economists, including Maya Senussi at the Wall Street advisory firm Oxford Economics, have questioned whether the oil-rich country could afford an investment that size with global energy prices declining. —Laura Doan, CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025

This political moment has afforded Ontario’s relatively up-and-coming wine industry a rare, and hugely consequential, spotlight. —Kelli María Korducki, thehustle.co, 5 Dec. 2025

Baby Scholars focuses particularly on economically disadvantaged Black and Latino families who can’t afford childcare or get into free early education programs like Head Start that have long wait lists in the county, Adams said. —Beki San Martin, Freep.com, 5 Dec. 2025

Skubal has won back-to-back Cy Young Awards and not many teams can realistically afford to pay him. —Aaliyan Mohammed, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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 com-, forth entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing afford

• ill afford

Rhymes for afford

• abhorred
• aboard
• accord
• adored
• award
• baseboard
• billboard
• blackboard
• boxboard
• breadboard
• broadsword
• buckboard

Kids Definition

afford

verb

af·​ford ə-ˈfōrd 

-ˈfȯrd

1

: to be able to do or to bear without serious harm

you can't afford to waste your strength

2

: to be able to pay for

unable to afford a new car

3

: to supply one with : provide, furnish

tennis affords good exercise

affordable

-ˈfōrd-ə-bəl 

-ˈfȯrd-

adjective