Definitions for afford
əˈfɔrd, əˈfoʊrdaf·ford

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.5 / 2 votes

1. affordverb

   be able to spare or give up

   "I can't afford to spend two hours with this person"

2. yield, give, affordverb

   be the cause or source of

   "He gave me a lot of trouble"; "Our meeting afforded much interesting information"

3. affordverb

   have the financial means to do something or buy something

   "We can't afford to send our children to college"; "Can you afford this car?"

4. afford, open, giveverb

   afford access to

   "the door opens to the patio"; "The French doors give onto a terrace"

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. affordverb

   To incur, stand, or bear without serious detriment, as an act which might under other circumstances be injurious; -- with an auxiliary, as can, could, might, etc.; to be able or rich enough.

2. affordverb

   To offer, provide, or supply, as in selling, granting, expending, with profit, or without loss or too great injury.

3. affordverb

   To give forth; to supply, yield, or produce as the natural result, fruit, or issue.

4. affordverb

   To give, grant, or confer, with a remoter reference to its being the natural result; to provide; to furnish.

   A good life affords consolation in old age.

5. Etymology: From afōrthen, geforðian, forðian, from forð. The prefix ge- has no well defined sense. See forth.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. To Affordverb

   Etymology: affourrer, affourrager, Fr.

   1. To yield or produce; as, the soil affords grain; the trees afford fruits. This seems to be the primitive signification.2. To grant, or confer any thing; generally in a good sense, and sometimes in a bad, not properly.

   So soon as Maurmon there arrived, the door
   To him did open, and afforded way. Fairy Queen.

   This is the consolation of all good men, unto whom his ubiquity affordeth continual comfort and security; and this is the affliction of hell, to whom it affordeth despair and remediless calamity. Thomas Browne, Vulgar Errours, b. i. c. 2.

   3. To be able to sell. It is used always with reference to some certain price; as, I can afford this for less than the other.

   They fill their magazines in times of the greatest plenty, that so they may afford cheaper, and increase the public revenue at a small expence of its members. Joseph Addison, on Italy.

   4. To be able to bear expences; as, traders can afford more finery in peace than war.

   The same errours run through all families, where there is wealth enough to afford that their sons may be good for nothing. Jonathan Swift, on Modern Education.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. afford

   Afford generally means having enough money or resources to pay for something or the ability to do something without experiencing negative consequences. It can refer to buying goods or services, taking time or exerting effort, or accommodating a certain situation or circumstance.

2. afford

   Afford refers to having enough resources, such as time, money, or strength, to be able to do or acquire something. It could also mean the ability to deal with or withstand a situation without being negatively affected or harmed.

3. afford

   Afford generally refers to the ability to manage or cope with something such as costs or expenses, without suffering any negative effects such as financial strain. It can also mean to provide or supply something like an opportunity or privilege.

4. afford

   To afford generally means to have enough resources, such as money, time or physical capability, to do or buy something without causing financial trouble or scarcity. The term often identifies the ability to take on a particular action or task without suffering adverse effects, be it monetary, temporal or physical.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 2 votes

1. Affordverb

   to give forth; to supply, yield, or produce as the natural result, fruit, or issue; as, grapes afford wine; olives afford oil; the earth affords fruit; the sea affords an abundant supply of fish

2. Affordverb

   to give, grant, or confer, with a remoter reference to its being the natural result; to provide; to furnish; as, a good life affords consolation in old age

3. Affordverb

   to offer, provide, or supply, as in selling, granting, expending, with profit, or without loss or too great injury; as, A affords his goods cheaper than B; a man can afford a sum yearly in charity

4. Affordverb

   to incur, stand, or bear without serious detriment, as an act which might under other circumstances be injurious; -- with an auxiliary, as can, could, might, etc.; to be able or rich enough

5. Etymology: [OE. aforthen, AS. geforian, forian, to further, accomplish, afford, fr. for forth, forward. The prefix ge- has no well defined sense. See Forth.]

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. Afford

   af-fōrd′, v.t. to yield or produce: to be able to sell, to expend, or to bear the expense of. [M. E. aforthen, from A.S. geforthian or forthian, to further or cause to come forth.]

Editors ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. afford

   To have the money within a budget to buy or pay.

   They were able to afford to put money in the bank for savings every month.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on March 4, 2020  

Matched Categories

1. • Spend
   • Supply

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'afford' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #2613

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'afford' in Written Corpus Frequency: #1014

3. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'afford' in Verbs Frequency: #381

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to pronounce afford?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say afford in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of afford in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of afford in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of afford in a Sentence

1. Helio Doyle:

   The city can't afford to hold the Olympic soccer games here. It can barely pay its employees.

2. Protester Charles Baker:

   I can get a job anywhere, i need a job with benefits. I can't afford to buy healthcare.

3. Abigail Van Buren:

   In Biblical times, a man could have as many wives as he could afford. Just like today.

4. The President:

   We can finally do something in this country for people who don't have child care, for people who can't afford college, for seniors who can't get to a dentist. We can finally do something.

5. David Blumenthal:

   In no other country does income inequality so profoundly limit access to care as it does here, far too many people can not afford the care they need and far too many are uninsured, especially compared to other wealthy nations.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=afford
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Afford
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=afford
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/afford
6. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=afford
7. ^ Usage in printed sources
   https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=afford