afford

affordverb

Afford is to have enough money, time, or safety to do something, almost always used with can, could, or a negative.

1. money or timehave enough money, time, or other resources to do something

   Almost always used with can, could, or a negative, often in questions too.

   transitive [T] verb + object [V + obj] verb + to-infinitive [V + to-inf]

   • We can't afford a new car right now. V + obj
   • Can you afford to take a vacation this year? V + to-inf
   • They finally could afford a house of their own.
   • I can't afford these prices.

   Collocations

   verb + noun afford the expense, afford the time

2. riskbe able to do something, or let something happen, without bad results

   transitive [T] verb + to-infinitive [V + to-inf]

   • We can't afford to make mistakes now.
   • You can't afford to be late for this interview.
   • No one can afford to ignore the risk.