Afford
Definition
Afford is a verb that means to have enough resources, such as money or time, to be able to do something. It can also mean to be able to bear the cost or consequences of something.
Parts of Speech
- Verb
Pronunciation
American English
- IPA Pronunciation: /əˈfɔrd/
- Respelling: uh-FORD
British English
- IPA Pronunciation: /əˈfɔːd/
- Respelling: uh-FAWD
Etymology
The word "afford" originates from the Old English "geforthian," which means "to further" or "promote." It evolved in Middle English as "afford," taking on the meaning of providing or being able to bear something.
Derivatives
- Affordable (adjective)
- Affordability (noun)
- Afforded (verb, past tense)
- Unaffordable (adjective)
- Affording (verb, present participle)
Synonyms
- Manage
- Sustain
- Bear
Antonyms
- Forfeit
- Fail
- Lose
Usage
The term "afford" is commonly used in both financial and practical contexts. For example, "She couldn’t afford the luxury item," or "They can afford to wait another week."
Related Terms
- Expense: The cost or price of something.
- Cost: The amount of money required to purchase or maintain something.
- Budget: An estimate of income and expenditure for a set period of time.
Detailed Definitions
Verb
- To be able to pay for something: Indicates the financial means to purchase an item or service.
- Example: "They can afford a new car this year."
- To be able to spare or allow: Refers to having sufficient time or resources for something.
- Example: "I cannot afford to waste any more time on this."
- To bear the cost or consequences: Means to manage the potential risks or downsides of a decision.
- Example: "He could not afford to make another mistake."
afford
A family with money in their hands in front of their newly purchased house, expressing happiness for being able to afford it.
A person holding a handful of cash buying a designer handbag - She had to work extra hours to afford the handbag she wanted.
A smiling person holding a handful of cash, showing they can afford to make a significant purchase such as a car.
🇨🇳 Mandarin
- 买得起
- IPA: /maɪ˥ tə˥ t͡ɕʰi˥/
- Respelling: mai de qi
- 提供
- IPA: /tʰi˥ koŋ˩˥/
- Respelling: ti gong
🇮🇳 Hindi
- खरीद सकना
- IPA: /kʰəriːd səknə/
- Respelling: khareed sakna
- प्रदान करना
- IPA: /prədaːn kərnə/
- Respelling: pradan karna
🇪🇸 Spanish
- Permitirse
- IPA: /permi'tirse/
- Respelling: per-mi-tir-se
- Proporcionar
- IPA: /proporsjo'nar/
- Respelling: pro-por-syo-nar
🇫🇷 French
- Se permettre
- IPA: /sə pɛʁmɛtʁ/
- Respelling: se per-metr
- Fournir
- IPA: /fuʁniʁ/
- Respelling: four-nir
🇦🇪 Modern Standard Arabic
- يستطيع الشراء
- IPA: /jastat̪iːʕ uʃʃiraːʔ/
- Respelling: yastati' ash-shira'
- توفير
- IPA: /tawfiːr/
- Respelling: tawfeer
🇧🇩 Bengali
- ক্রয় করতে পারা
- IPA: /krɔj kɔrte para/
- Respelling: kroy korte para
- প্রদান করা
- IPA: /prɔdan kora/
- Respelling: prodan kora
🇷🇺 Russian
- Позволить себе
- IPA: /pɐzˈvolʲɪtʲ sʲɪbʲe/
- Respelling: poz-volit' sebe
- Обеспечить
- IPA: /ɐbʲɪˈspet͡ɕɪtʲ/
- Respelling: obes-pe-chit'
🇵🇹 Portuguese
- Permitir-se
- IPA: /pɛʁmi'tiʁsi/
- Respelling: per-mi-tir-se
- Fornecer
- IPA: /fornɛ'ser/
- Respelling: for-ne-ser
🇮🇩 Indonesian
- Mampu membeli
- IPA: /ˈmampu məmˈbeli/
- Respelling: mampu mem-beli
- Menyediakan
- IPA: /məˈɲedɪakan/
- Respelling: me-nye-di-akan
🇩🇪 German
- Sich leisten
- IPA: /zɪç ˈlaɪ̯stn̩/
- Respelling: zich lei-sten
- Bereitstellen
- IPA: /bəˈʁaɪ̯tʃtɛlən/
- Respelling: be-reit-stellen
🇯🇵 Japanese
- 買える
- IPA: /kaeɾu/
- Respelling: kaeru
- 提供する
- IPA: /teiːkjoː suru/
- Respelling: teikyo suru
🇻🇳 Vietnamese
- Mua được
- IPA: /mwa˧˧ ðuək˧˧/
- Respelling: mua duoc
- Cung cấp
- IPA: /kʊŋ˧˧ kəːp˧˧/
- Respelling: cung cap
🇰🇷 Korean
- 살 수 있다
- IPA: /sal su ɪt̚ta/
- Respelling: sal su itta
- 제공하다
- IPA: /dʑeːɡoːnhada/
- Respelling: je-gong-hada
🇹🇷 Turkish
- Karşılayabilir
- IPA: /kaɾʃɯlajabilir/
- Respelling: karshilayabilir
- Sağlamak
- IPA: /saːɫamak/
- Respelling: saglamak
🇵🇰 Urdu
- خرید سکنا
- IPA: /xəˈriːd səknə/
- Respelling: khareed sakna
- فراہم کرنا
- IPA: /fəˈrɑːhəm kərnə/
- Respelling: faraham karna
