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afford definition

af·ford (ə fôrd′)

transitive verb

  1. to have enough or the means for; bear the cost of without serious inconvenience: used with can or be able I'm not able to afford a car; can you afford the time?
  2. to manage (to do something) without risking serious consequences: used with can I can afford to speak frankly
  3. to give; furnish music affords her pleasure

Etymology: ME aforthen < OE geforthian, to advance < forthian, to further

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

afford Synonyms

afford

v.

  1. To give

    provide, furnish, yield; see produce 1.

  2. To be in a position to buy or bear

    have enough for, spare the money for, allow, be able to, be disposed to, have the means for, be financially able, have sufficient means for, sustain, bear, manage, support, stand, spare the price of, be able to meet the expense of, incur without detriment to financial condition, bear the expense, bear the cost of, have the wherewithal, swing*.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

afford Usage Examples

Object

  • protection: The NBA Private Breeding Warranty affords better protection to sellers for use in Private Sales by individual members of the NBA.

Used with why or when

  • that: If you cannot afford that then don't worry - all contributions help and are most welcome.

Infinitive complement

  • ignore: What business can afford to ignore 790 million people?

Modifying Another Word

  • longer: Young families who can no longer afford to buy homes on the open market more urgently need housing association accommodation.
afford usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

afford quotes

It is the good fortune of the affluent country that the opportunity cost of economic discussion is low and hence it can afford all kinds.

-Galbraith,John Kenneth

Les te¤  moins sont fort chers, et n'en a pas qui veut. Witnesses are expensive and not everyone can afford them.

-Racine,Jean

The only way forawomantoprovideforherselfdecently is for her to be good to some man that can afford to be good to her.

-Shaw, George Bernard

afford quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"afford." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/afford>

APA Style

afford. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/afford

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