far

American  

[fahr] / fɑr /

adverb

1. at or to a great distance; a long way off; at or to a remote point.

   We sailed far ahead of the fleet.

2. at or to a remote or advanced time.

   We talked far into the night.

3. at or to a great, advanced, or definite point of progress, or degree.

   Having come this far, we might as well continue.

4. much or many.

   I need far more time.

   We gained far more advantages.

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adjective

farther, further, farthest, furthest

1. being at a great distance; remote in time or place: the far future.

   a far country;

   the far future.

2. extending to a great distance.

   the far frontiers of empire.

3. more distant of the two.

   the far side.

4. having or representing extreme political views or beliefs.

   parties on the far left;

   the rise of the far right.

idioms

1. as far as. as.

2. on the far side of. side.

3. a far cry (from). cry.

4. 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.

5. few and far between. few.

6. so far,

   1. up to now.

      So far, I've had no reply to my request.

   2. up to a certain point or extent.

      We were able to plan only so far because of various factors beyond our control.

7. far and away, by far; undoubtedly.

   She is far and away the smartest one in the class.

8. the far side. side.

9. far out,

   1. unconventional; offbeat.

      His sense of humor is far out.

   2. radical; extreme.

      political opinions that are far out.

   3. recondite or esoteric.

      an interest in art that was considered far out.

10. 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?

11. go far,

    1. to attain success.

       With so much talent he should go far.

    2. to have a great effect toward; help.

       The new evidence will go far toward proving the defendant's guilt.

12. by far,

    1. by a great deal; very much.

       too expensive by far.

    2. plainly; obviously.

       This melon is by far the ripest of the lot.

13. 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.

14. thus far,

    1. up to the present; up to now.

       We have met no resistance to our plan thus far.

    2. to a particular degree, point, or extent.

       When you get thus far in the experiment, consult with the professor.

15. so far so good, succeeding or managing adequately to this point; doing well thus far.

    The work is difficult, but so far so good.

far British  

/ fɑː /

adverb

1. at, to, or from a great distance

2. at or to a remote time

   far in the future

3. to a considerable degree; very much

   a far better plan

4. 1. to the degree or extent that

   2. to the distance or place of

   3. informal with reference to; as for

5. by a considerable margin

6. by a very great margin

7. over great distances; everywhere

8. I would not presume; on no account

   far be it from me to tell you what to do

9. 1. in an advanced state of deterioration

   2. informal extremely drunk

10. 1. to be successful; achieve much

       your son will go far

    2. to be sufficient or last long

       the wine didn't go far

11. to exceed reasonable limits

12. to what extent, distance, or degree?

13. to the degree or extent that

14. 1. up to the present moment

    2. up to a certain point, extent, degree, etc

15. an expression of satisfaction with progress made

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adjective

1. remote in space or time

   a far country

   in the far past

2. extending a great distance; long

3. more distant

   the far end of the room

4. 1. a long way

   2. something very different

5. in a degree, state, etc, remote from

   he is far from happy

far More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing far

• as far as
• as far as possible
• as far as that goes
• by far
• carry too far
• few and far between
• go far
• go so far as to
• go too far
• so far
• so far so good

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Usage

See as ¹, farther.

Other Word Forms

• farness
  noun
• overfar
  adverb

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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”

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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

See Examples For:

far farther farthest further furthest

He added that unless the government saw "an absolute dire need", it would not be procuring spot cargoes on the LNG front, which tend to be far more expensive than previously contracted shipments.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

Parts of Herefordshire for instance have only received a tenth of the rainfall they would normally have seen by mid-October so far this month.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

So far, the bet has paid off, especially for the U.S. and Asia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

“They’ve rescued 16 so far, and one of the rescued survivors reported that there was 27 people on board,” Sappey said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

It is too late for an autopsy, and California is too far for a research visit.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

Reports that the U.S. is considering easing some tanker sanctions in a bid to bring down freight prices is helping lift U.S. crude, which has farther to travel to European markets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Coastal sections of San Diego County could see between an inch and an inch and a half of precipitation with higher rain levels predicted farther inland.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026

I would say that this as a potential application is a bit more farther out, though.

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

Normally, when copper supplies are tight, prices for near-term delivery on the London Metal Exchange rise compared with prices farther out in the future, giving anybody sitting on copper an incentive to release it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

As the trade winds pushed her farther west she gathered humidity and power.

From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith

Before last week, the farthest known northern nesting ground was in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

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

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

Still can’t see much, but enough to make out the farthest wall.

From "The Young Man and the Sea" by Rodman Philbrick

Officials say the fierce Santa Ana winds will blow until Saturday, bringing further risk of more conflagrations.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Interest costs on around $32 trillion in publicly held US debt have been ballooning in recent years, and climbing bond yields have sparked further concerns.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

They pointed out that if the amount of water flowing into Lake Mead decreases further, it will trigger the state’s right to sue its upriver neighbors for a violation of the compact.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

BAE declined to provide further information on the incident and an estimated recovery time.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

The intent is to spare Manila from further destruction.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

But for the player who pulled it off, it was the furthest thing from a surprise.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

“I hate to say it, but Blythe’s in the middle of nowhere, we’re the furthest from Sacramento, I just hate to say it again, we’re only a few votes out here.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 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

It walked along the stable to the furthest stall, where it lay down in the dry straw, and the star scrambled off its back, dripping and miserable.

From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman

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