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• afar
  afar

  adverb

  from, at, or to a distance; far away (usually followed byoff ).
• Afar
  Afar

  noun

  a member of a nomadic Muslim people living in Eritrea, Djibouti, and northern Ethiopia.

afar

¹ American  

[uh-fahr] / əˈfɑr /

adverb

1. from, at, or to a distance; far away (usually followed byoff ).

   He saw the castle afar off.

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idioms

1. from afar, from a long way off.

   The princess saw him riding toward her from afar.

Afar ² American  

[ah-fahr] / ˈɑ fɑr /

noun

• Afars,
  plural
• Afara,
  plural
• Afar
  plural

1. a member of a nomadic Muslim people living in Eritrea, Djibouti, and northern Ethiopia.

2. the Northern Cushitic language spoken by the Afars.

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afar British  

/ əˈfɑː /

adverb

1. at, from, or to a great distance

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noun

1. a great distance (esp in the phrase from afar )

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Afar
  plural
• Afara
  plural
• Afars
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of afar

1125–75; Middle English a fer, on ferr; replacing Old English feorran. See a- ¹ (perhaps also a- ² for the meaning “from”), far

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Explanation

If something's off at a distance, you can describe it as being afar. You might write a letter to your pen pal in Japan, and say, "This note comes to you from afar." Afar is a poetic and old-fashioned way to say "far away" or "distant." If your summer visitors have traveled from afar, they've come a long way to see you, and if your boyfriend moves to Australia, you might have to continue your relationship from afar. The word is a shortened form of the Old English of feor, in which of means "of" or "on," and feor is "far, remote, or distant."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

afar Afar Afara Afars

Packer and a group of “concerned citizen helpers” tracked the canine from afar to avoid spooking him, according to Animal Control.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026

"I do not believe he has the means to lead the opposition from afar, as the newly elected officials have already secured their seats and no longer need him," Monteiro told AFP.

From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026

There are usually seven plenums during each five-year Central Committee term and they are watched from afar because they are meant to signal the leadership's priorities.

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

The discovery offers an important step toward explaining how magnetic activity contributes to heating the Sun's atmosphere, including in regions that appear calm when viewed from afar.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026

The horse’s head was lifted, and its nostrils were wide and red as it neighed, smelling battle afar.

From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien

The rebels initially made advances in neighbouring Afar and Amhara states, working alongside local militias.

From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026

Its offensive in Afar is aimed at cutting supplies from Djibouti, which provides almost all of Ethiopia's international trade cargo, including fuel.

From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026

“They have been targeting government positions in the Afar region from three directions,” an Ethiopian official said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

Besides Oromia, Amhara and Tigray, the new alliance also includes groups based in three other regions - Ogaden, Afar and Benishangul-Gumuz – making up a half of Ethiopia's 12 regional states.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

Afar was heard A cry, a long acclaim.

From The Story of Magellan and The Discovery of the Philippines by Hezekiah Butterworth

Afara Lalaind, who filed her civil complaint Thursday at Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown L.A., also alleges her reputation “has been ruined” and her chance for advancement is gone.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2024

Signing up are the proud, aggressive Angelus Lipahi and the earnest, hardworking Ezekiel Afara, both inspired by glossy magazine images of surfing superstars.

From New York Times ● Feb. 3, 2012

In the case of the Afars, for instance, he has asked the elders to designate which tribesmen should be armed.

From Time Magazine Archive

Over the past few months, hostilities have raged between the Afars and Tigreans, the Gurages and Wolaytas, the Anuaks and Nuers, and the Oromos and Tigreans.

From Time Magazine Archive

Meanwhile the French Territory of Afars and Issas, with its key port of Djibouti, which provides an Ethiopian rail link to the sea, gains independence from Paris next month.

From Time Magazine Archive

"To disarm them all is unacceptable to the Afars," Meles explains.

From Time Magazine Archive

Unrest among the Afars minority during the 1990s led to a civil war that ended in 2001 following the conclusion of a peace accord between Afar rebels and the Issa-dominated government.

From The 2008 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency

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