ZebraWords.com - The Definition of 'Afford', Synonyms of 'Afford' & More on 'Afford'

1. WordNet® 3.0 (2006)

afford
    v 1: be able to spare or give up; "I can't afford to spend two
         hours with this person"
    2: be the cause or source of; "He gave me a lot of trouble";
       "Our meeting afforded much interesting information" [syn:
       yield, give, afford]
    3: 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 access to; "the door opens to the patio"; "The French
       doors give onto a terrace" [syn: afford, open, give]

2. The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Afford \Af*ford"\ ([a^]f*f[=o]rd"), v. t. [imp. & p. p.
   Afforded; p. pr. & vb. n. Affording.] [OE. aforthen, AS.
   gefor[eth]ian, for[eth]ian, to further, accomplish, afford,
   fr. for[eth] forth, forward. The prefix ge- has no well
   defined sense. See Forth.]
   1. 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.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. 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.
      [1913 Webster]

            His tuneful Muse affords the sweetest numbers.
                                                  --Addison.
      [1913 Webster]

            The quiet lanes . . . afford calmer retreats.
                                                  --Gilpin.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. 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.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. 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.
      [1913 Webster]

            The merchant can afford to trade for smaller
            profits.                              --Hamilton.
      [1913 Webster]

            He could afford to suffer
            With those whom he saw suffer.        --Wordsworth.
      [1913 Webster]

Thesaurus Results for afford:

1. Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

accommodate, accommodate with, accord, administer, allot, allow, amount to, award, be loaded, bear, bear the expense, bestow, bestow on, bring, bring in, clothe, come to, come up to, command money, communicate, confer, contribute, cost, deal, deal out, dish out, dispense, dole, dole out, donate, endow, endure, extend, favor with, fetch, fill, fill up, find, fork out, fund, furnish, gift, gift with, give, give forth, give freely, give out, give up, grant, gross, hand out, have independent means, have means, have money, have the wherewithal, heap, heap upon, help to, impart, indulge with, invest, issue, keep, lavish, lavish upon, let have, maintain, make available, make provision for, manage, mete, mete out, mount up to, net, offer, pay, pay off, pour, pour on, prepare, present, produce, proffer, provide, provide for, rain, recruit, render, replenish, return, run into, run to, sacrifice, sell for, serve, set one back, shell out, shower, shower down upon, slip, snow, spare, spare the price, stand, stock, store, subsidize, supply, support, tender, total up to, undergo, vouchsafe, well afford, yield

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