a member of a nomadic Muslim people living in Eritrea, Djibouti, and northern Ethiopia.
the Northern Cushitic language spoken by the Afars.
1125–75; Middle English a fer, on ferr; replacing Old English feorran. See a- 1 (perhaps also a- 2 for the meaning “from”), far
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."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"He shouted to my father from afar and learned that they are fine for now, though they are surrounded by water," she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
While the NBA world watched the Celtics’ drama from afar to see whether they would be able to mend their relationship with Brown, he took to social media.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
Many Venezuelans abroad are searching from afar for family members among the nearly 2,300 dead and tens of thousands missing.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
That left Smith to struggle with managing the situation from afar, since she lived in New Jersey, while her mother and Johnson, now 57, lived near each other in California.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
It was exactly the madding crowd that Bobby wished would stay afar.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
The study, titled "First Afar Paranthropus fossil expands the distribution of a versatile genus," was published in Nature in January 2026.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 23, 2026
A newly published study in Nature describes the discovery of the first known Paranthropus fossil from Ethiopia's Afar region, uncovered about 1000 km north of where this ancient hominin had previously been found.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 23, 2026
About 85 Ethiopian migrants were travelling along the eastern migration route when the lorry overturned in the town of Semera on Tuesday morning, a senior Afar official Mohammed Ali Biedo said in a statement.
From BBC ● Jan. 6, 2026
The Afar regional government said it was "doing all the necessary life saving operations" on the injured migrants following the "horrific" accident.
From BBC ● Jan. 6, 2026
Afar a wail of infinite sadness and melancholy pierced and echoed through the silence.
From The Claw by Stockley, Cynthia
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
On a world map the Territory of the Afars and Issas resembles a wart on the Horn of Africa.
From Time Magazine Archive
"To disarm them all is unacceptable to the Afars," Meles explains.
From Time Magazine Archive
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
The Afars are also found in considerable numbers in French Somaliland.
From The Project Gutenberg Encyclopedia Volume 1 of 28 by Project Gutenberg
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.
