ill afford
idiom
: to be unable to afford : to be unable to do (something) without having problems or being seriously harmed
She bought a new car, which she could ill afford.
We can ill afford more bad publicity.
Examples of ill afford in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Rockies can ill afford to miss with pitchers given the reluctance to spend on premium free agents and inability to convince reclamation projects to take their money.
—
Troy Renck, The Denver Post, 21 Mar. 2025
With fears of tariffs bringing about a potential recession and the stock market tanking, Trump can ill afford another setback with voters.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 13 Mar. 2025
Oil and gas revenues support about a third of Russia’s state budget and are therefore crucial to its ability to prosecute the war in Ukraine; Moscow can ill afford a large drop in oil prices.
—Hanna Notte, Foreign Affairs, 27 Feb. 2025
Already in something of a limbo state as the deal gets resolved, the company could ill afford to lose carriage on a major pay-TV provider.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 15 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ill afford
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Troy Renck, The Denver Post, 21 Mar. 2025
With fears of tariffs bringing about a potential recession and the stock market tanking, Trump can ill afford another setback with voters.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 13 Mar. 2025
Oil and gas revenues support about a third of Russia’s state budget and are therefore crucial to its ability to prosecute the war in Ukraine; Moscow can ill afford a large drop in oil prices.
—Hanna Notte, Foreign Affairs, 27 Feb. 2025
Already in something of a limbo state as the deal gets resolved, the company could ill afford to lose carriage on a major pay-TV provider.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 15 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ill afford
Cite this Entry
“Ill afford.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ill%20afford. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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