ill afford

phrase

: to be unable to afford : to be unable to do (something) without having problems or being seriously harmed

She bought a new car, which she could ill afford.

We can ill afford more bad publicity.

Examples of ill afford in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

After four years of sky-high inflation, American families can ill afford another round of higher food prices, but that’s exactly what’s coming if things remain unchanged. — E.j. Antoni, Boston Herald, 6 Apr. 2026

After the chaotic reigns of Lori Lightfoot and Johnson, Chicago can ill afford a third rookie mayor. — Juan Rangel, Chicago Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026

With only three teams qualifying for Europe, Chelsea can ill afford to drop points. — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026

The Kings, who entered the Olympic break outside the playoff bubble, could ill afford to lose their leading power-play producer. — Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 13 Feb. 2026

Rhymes for ill afford

• afeard