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afford

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verb [transitive] British English pronunciation: afford /əˈfɔː(r)d/ 
Word Forms
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present tense
I/you/we/theyafford
he/she/itaffords
present participleaffording
past tenseafforded
past participleafforded
 
  1. 1
    if you can afford something, you have enough money to be able to pay for it. This word usually follows 'can', 'could', or 'be able to'

    I'm not sure how they are able to afford such expensive holidays.

    We need a bigger house, but we just can't afford the rent.

    can/can't afford to do something:

    The company simply cannot afford to pay overtime.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of afford
  2. 2
    if you can afford something you can do it without having to worry about it causing problems for you. This word always follows 'can', 'could', or 'be able to'

    Scientists are going abroad, taking with them skills that our country can ill afford (=cannot afford) to lose.

    I'm so busy, I can rarely afford the luxury of a restful weekend.

    can/can't/be unable to afford to do something:

    No politician can afford to ignore the power of television.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of afford
  3. 3
    formal to provide something
    afford protection/shelter:

    The vaccination also affords protection against polio.

    afford someone something:

    Letters survive that afford us a glimpse into his everyday life.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of afford

This is the British English definition of afford. View American English definition of afford.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

View the pronunciation for afford.

 

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