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
Given the state of the division race – the San Diego Padres also lost Friday, leaving the Dodgers’ NL West lead at 2½ games – the Dodgers can ill afford to continue putting Scott in position to lose games for them.
—
Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025
Losing Garcia for any length of time would further stagger an Astros pitching staff that can ill afford any more attrition.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
Investors fear Ishiba's administration will now be more beholden to opposition parties advocating for tax cuts and welfare spending that the world's most indebted country can ill afford.
—John Geddie, USA Today, 21 July 2025
And a teacher earning under $60,000 can ill afford to hand over $400 a year for an organization that seems more concerned with rainbow banners than reading scores.
—Jeremy Gosnell, Baltimore Sun, 20 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for ill afford
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Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025
Losing Garcia for any length of time would further stagger an Astros pitching staff that can ill afford any more attrition.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
Investors fear Ishiba's administration will now be more beholden to opposition parties advocating for tax cuts and welfare spending that the world's most indebted country can ill afford.
—John Geddie, USA Today, 21 July 2025
And a teacher earning under $60,000 can ill afford to hand over $400 a year for an organization that seems more concerned with rainbow banners than reading scores.
—Jeremy Gosnell, Baltimore Sun, 20 July 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 18 Sep. 2025.
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