From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishaffordaf‧ford /əˈfɔːd $ -ɔːrd/ ●●● S1 W3 verb [transitive] 1 → can/could afford2 formalPROVIDE to provide something or allow something to happen The room affords a beautiful view over the city.afford (somebody) an opportunity/chance It afforded her the opportunity to improve her tennis skills. The new law will afford protection to employees.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
afford• Filling in the two charts on page 32 gives the best indication of what you can afford.• It is successful because it produces a high quality product on time at a price the customer can afford.• My parents used to say that their son would have the best education they could afford.• The window affords a beautiful view out over the city.• Helena doesn't feel she can afford any more time away from work.• Fortunately Joe's can afford for me to use chemicals and paper as I like.• No show can afford that kind of scandal, particularly a brand-new one, hungry for the ratings.• Many smaller companies simply can not afford to buy health insurance for employees and remain in business.• The School Board next week is expected to meet in executive session and determine how much it can afford to offer.afford protection• Assists in maintaining proper bowel function and affords protection against diverticulosis, haemorrhoids and varicose veins.Origin afford Old English geforthian “to carry out”, from forth 