ill afford
idiom
: 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
Trump is already dealing with a crisis in Minnesota and can ill afford another potentially violent confrontation in the Bay State, where leaders like Boston Mayor Michelle Wu have vowed to fight against any mass ICE intervention.
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Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 15 Jan. 2026
Doing so will leave the Astros bullpen short one reliever, putting pressure on each starter to work deep into games and creating the possibility of overwork within a bullpen that can ill afford it.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
The Steelers can ill afford the kind of breakdowns that nearly cost them a division title.
—CBS News, 6 Jan. 2026
Any return to a pre-2022 level of hijab enforcement would require a major crackdown that the regime can ill afford.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ill afford
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Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 15 Jan. 2026
Doing so will leave the Astros bullpen short one reliever, putting pressure on each starter to work deep into games and creating the possibility of overwork within a bullpen that can ill afford it.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
The Steelers can ill afford the kind of breakdowns that nearly cost them a division title.
—CBS News, 6 Jan. 2026
Any return to a pre-2022 level of hijab enforcement would require a major crackdown that the regime can ill afford.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ill afford
Cite this Entry
“Ill afford.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ill%20afford. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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