afford

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afford

/əˈfoɹd/ US
[əˈfo̞ɹd] US
/əˈfɔːd/ UK
/əˈfo(ː)ɹd/
/əˈfoəd/
/əˈfo(r)ɖ/ South Asia
/əˈfɜ(r)ɖ/ South Asia

Rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)d

Where it comes from

From Middle English afforthen, aforthen, avorthien, from earlier iforthen, iforthien, ȝeforthien, from Old English forþian, ġeforþian (“to further, accomplish, afford”), from Proto-Germanic *furþōną, from Proto-Germanic *furþą (“forth, forward”), equivalent to a- + forth. Cognate with Old Norse forða (“to forward oneself, save oneself, escape danger”), Icelandic forða (“to save, rescue”).

verb affords · affording · afforded · afoord · affoord

To incur, stand, or bear without serious detriment, as an act which might under other circumstances be injurious; (usually after an expression of ability, as could, able, difficult) to be able or rich enough; to spare. I think we can afford the extra hour it will take. We can only afford to buy a small car at the moment.
obsolete To offer, provide, or supply, as in selling, granting or expending, with profit, or without too great a loss. Alfred affords his goods cheaper than Bantock.
rare To give forth; to supply, yield, or produce as the natural result, fruit, or issue. Grapes afford wine. Olives afford oil. The earth affords fruit. The sea affords an abundant supply of fish.
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.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: give, yield, open, offer, enable, grant, procure, empower, permit, confer, accept, help, allow, acquire, provide, bring

Translations

Every language

verb to incur, stand, or bear

Español	costear, permitirse, serle asequible/exequible, alcanzarle
한국어	여유가 있다 yeoyu-ga itda
日本語	余裕がある yoyū ga aru, ゆとりがある yutori ga aru
中文	支付得起 zhīfùdeqǐ, 付得起 fùdeqǐ
Português	conseguir pagar, lidar
Français	se permettre
Deutsch	sich leisten, imstande sein
Italiano	permettersi
Русский	позволя́ть себе́ pozvoljátʹ sebé, позво́лить себе́ pozvólitʹ sebé, быть в состоя́нии bytʹ v sostojánii
العربية	أَعْطَى ʔaʕṭā

verb to offer, provide, or supply

日本語	供給する teikyū suru, 与える ataeru
中文	提供 tígōng
Português	prover, agraciar
Français	offrir
Deutsch	gewähren
Русский	предоставля́ть predostavljátʹ, предоста́вить predostávitʹ
العربية	أَعْطَى ʔaʕṭā

verb to provide; furnish

Português	fornecer

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Cite this

MLA

"afford." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/afford. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

afford. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/afford

Chicago

"afford." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/afford.

BibTeX

@misc{afford_2026,
  title = {afford},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/afford},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}