far
Americanadverb
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at or to a great distance; a long way off; at or to a remote point.
We sailed far ahead of the fleet.
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at or to a remote or advanced time.
We talked far into the night.
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at or to a great, advanced, or definite point of progress, or degree.
Having come this far, we might as well continue.
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much or many.
I need far more time.
We gained far more advantages.
adjective
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being at a great distance; remote in time or place: the far future.
a far country;
the far future.
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extending to a great distance.
the far frontiers of empire.
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more distant of the two.
the far side.
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having or representing extreme political views or beliefs.
parties on the far left;
the rise of the far right.
idioms
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as far as. as.
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on the far side of. side.
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a far cry (from). cry.
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far be it from me, I do not wish or dare (to interrupt, criticize, etc.).
Far be it from me to complain, but it's getting stuffy in here.
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few and far between. few.
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so far,
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up to now.
So far, I've had no reply to my request.
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up to a certain point or extent.
We were able to plan only so far because of various factors beyond our control.
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far and away, by far; undoubtedly.
She is far and away the smartest one in the class.
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the far side. side.
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far out,
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His sense of humor is far out.
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political opinions that are far out.
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recondite or esoteric.
an interest in art that was considered far out.
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how far, to what distance, extent, or degree: How far do you think they can be trusted?
She didn't know how far they had gone in the mathematics text.
How far do you think they can be trusted?
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go far,
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to attain success.
With so much talent he should go far.
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to have a great effect toward; help.
The new evidence will go far toward proving the defendant's guilt.
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by far,
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by a great deal; very much.
too expensive by far.
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plainly; obviously.
This melon is by far the ripest of the lot.
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far and wide, to great lengths; over great distances: Also far and near, near and far.
He traveled far and wide in search of his missing son.
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thus far,
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up to the present; up to now.
We have met no resistance to our plan thus far.
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to a particular degree, point, or extent.
When you get thus far in the experiment, consult with the professor.
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so far so good, succeeding or managing adequately to this point; doing well thus far.
The work is difficult, but so far so good.
adverb
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at, to, or from a great distance
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at or to a remote time
far in the future
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to a considerable degree; very much
a far better plan
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to the degree or extent that
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to the distance or place of
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informal with reference to; as for
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by a considerable margin
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by a very great margin
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over great distances; everywhere
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I would not presume; on no account
far be it from me to tell you what to do
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in an advanced state of deterioration
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informal extremely drunk
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to be successful; achieve much
your son will go far
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to be sufficient or last long
the wine didn't go far
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to exceed reasonable limits
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to what extent, distance, or degree?
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to the degree or extent that
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up to the present moment
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up to a certain point, extent, degree, etc
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an expression of satisfaction with progress made
adjective
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remote in space or time
a far country
in the far past
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extending a great distance; long
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more distant
the far end of the room
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a long way
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something very different
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in a degree, state, etc, remote from
he is far from happy
Usage
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of far
First recorded before 900; Middle English far, fer, Old English feorr; cognate with Old High German ferr, Old Norse fjar, Gothic fairra; akin to German fern “far,” Latin porrō “forward, further,” Greek prós(s)ō, pórsō, pórrō “forward, onward”
Explanation
Use the adverb far to mean "distant," "remote," or "at a geat distance away." When you see a ship far out at sea, it's so remote from where you are that you might soon need binoculars to catch a glimpse of it. Far is used as both an adverb and an adjective, and it can mean both "distant in space," but also "distant in time," and "a lot." Therefore you can say, "Just look at us! We've come so far!" and also "You are far better at speaking French than I am." Old English had slightly different words for the adjective — feorr — and the adverb — feor.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But I don't think the 11 I've named above would be too far away from the reality.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
The cost of travel, food and pretty much everything else has also made it harder to stretch the same paycheck as far as I once could.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
With far less leisure time and diminished income, recreational facilities are turned over to food production, notably small-scale greenhouses and vertical farming for producing varied fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
GB's qualification is far from certain after the programme went part-time and the team slipped from the top tier of the international circuit.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
You’d never have thought a place so far from family could be home.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
The application proposes that attracting termites toward treated areas could potentially allow technicians to space treatment holes farther apart while reducing labor and possibly the amount of insecticide needed.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
As the match progressed, some spectators formed their own makeshift games farther down the beach as the midday sun tracked west through the afternoon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
According to the traditional explanation, that influence becomes progressively weaker as it moves farther from the original atom.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
Sketches, of varying lengths, build a central idea out in every direction, and a little farther than you might expect.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
I glance back at Dalton on my left, Awesiinh to the right and farther behind us.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Hargitay, largely known for apprehending “especially heinous” offenders for the last 27 years, is just about the farthest away from an objectionable choice as you can get.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
Eala, 21, went the farthest any Filipina had gone in a Grand Slam event, reaching the fourth round and eliminating defending champion Iga Swiatek of Poland along the way.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
SpaceX is the farthest along, with plans to stage a listing later this week that will be the biggest IPO in history and could make Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
That damage can trigger symptoms such as pain, tingling, and numbness, especially in the hands and feet where nerve fibers extend the farthest.
From Science Daily ● May 24, 2026
It was the farthest place from The Kingdom that I knew of.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
He said his "immediate priority" was to rebuild the relationship with the EU and reach "practical agreement that will further boost the British economy".
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
The European Central Bank, for example, has already raised interest rates twice in 2026 and is expected to raise them further in the next few months.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
The new study goes further by directly tracking individual phonons as they make quantum jumps in real time.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
It further argues that “Star Trek’s” emphasis on cultural and intellectual diversity remains especially relevant.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
He did not want to walk any further that day.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
Herzog’s adventurous spirit has led him to explore the furthest reaches of the globe, but also inward to map the strangest recesses of the heart.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
You can watch your future grocery bill in transit: The stage of the producer-price index furthest from your cart rose 3.2% in May, the biggest jump since 2009.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
Hunt finished furthest up the results list of any of the Britons in action.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
But combining plenty of aerobic activity with one to two hours of strength training brought the risk down furthest of all – by around 45%.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026
“That corner. The one furthest from you. Just tear off a tiny bit, but not quite enough for us to see anything.”
From "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Roald Dahl
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
