🇺🇸
/əˈfɔːrd/
🇺🇸
/əˈfɔːrd/
🇬🇧
/əˈfɔːrd/
🇬🇧
/əˈfɔːrd/
Past Tense
afforded
Past Participle
afforded
Gerund
affording
3rd Person
affords
Afford means to have enough money, time, energy, or other resources to do or get something — it’s about having the capacity to bear the cost or effort. Think of it like your personal resource meter: if it’s full enough, you can 'afford' that concert ticket, that extra hour of sleep, or even the emotional energy to apologize.
We can't afford to buy a new car right now.
She afforded herself a quiet weekend away from work.
Many students struggle to afford tuition fees.
The company can't afford to ignore cybersecurity threats.
He didn't afford himself the luxury of doubt before making the decision.
ford
Comes from Old English 'ford', meaning 'to cross (a river)' or 'to pass through'. In Proto-Germanic *furþan, it evolved to signify 'to bear, carry, or sustain' — later broadening to 'to bear the cost or burden of something'. Though 'afford' itself is not directly from Latin, its semantic development reflects Germanic roots tied to endurance and capacity. Examples include ford (the noun/verb), afford, and the archaic 'forth' (as in 'to bring forth'). Core meaning: 'to bear, sustain, or manage to undergo'.