AFFORD Definition & Meaning

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afford

[ uh-fawrd ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

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.

afford

/ əˈ��ɔː�� /

verb

preceded bycan, could, etc to be able to do or spare something, esp without incurring financial difficulties or without risk of undesirable consequences
I can afford to give you one of my chess sets
we can't afford to miss this play
we can afford to buy a small house
to give, yield, or supply
the meeting afforded much useful information

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Derived Forms

��ˌ�ڴǰ��岹ˈ��ٲ�, noun
��ˈ�ڴǰ��岹��, adjective

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of afford¹

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

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of afford¹

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-

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

And Lewis Tocher - who's had the original Switch since the day it launched - said he would get the console as soon as he could afford it, despite the cost of the games.

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McKinnor said she has regular town halls with her communities and the main topics of concern she’s heard from constituents are affording rent, rising grocery prices and everyday bills.

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It comes as national animal charity Blue Cross says it has seen an increase in pets left in boxes, or tied up with notes on from owners who can not afford to keep them.

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The England under-21 international believes his time away from the game has afforded him the opportunity to "reset" and feels he is ready to get back playing again next season.

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I vividly remember one late spring day, I found one — miraculously cheaper than the others, a slip of land I could afford after another summer or two of weekly cookie deliveries.

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