afar
adverb
from, at, or to a distance; far away (usually followed byoff ).
afar
1 American
[uh-fahr]
/ əˈfɑr /
adverb
idioms
Afar
2
American
[ah-fahr]
/ ˈɑ fɑr /
noun
-
Afars,
plural
-
Afara,
plural
-
Afar
plural
-
a member of a nomadic Muslim people living in Eritrea, Djibouti, and northern Ethiopia.
-
the Northern Cushitic language spoken by the Afars.
afar
British
/ əˈfɑː /
adverb
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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
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
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:
"It has been so sad, of course, for all us Zaragozistas," says Herrera, who watched the club's decline from afar.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Despite this demure exterior, former employees say the Sussexes and the Waleses have spent years monitoring one another from afar on social media, jostling to capture favorable headlines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
"If a galaxy were a city, the brightest stars would be the skyscrapers that immediately catch your eye from afar," said lead author Chloe Cheng, a recent doctoral graduate of Leiden University.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
Speaking generally, both said that while they could feasibly do portions of their jobs from afar, other parts, such as attending fundraising events, would be much more difficult.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Perhaps he had loved Barsena Blackhair from afar or had heard some whisper of the girl Hazzea.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
The Afar region of north-eastern Ethiopia is one of the hottest and driest places on Earth, where nomads often lead camel caravans carrying salt through the desert.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
"I can see my camels suffering from extreme heat," Ali Umer, a camel herder from Semera in Afar, told the BBC.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
According to Alemseged, the lack of Paranthropus fossils in the Afar had long puzzled researchers.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 23, 2026
"Neither was the case: Paranthropus was as widespread and versatile as Homo and the new find shows that its absence in the Afar was an artifact of the fossil record."
From Science Daily ● Jan. 23, 2026
Afar, through the mellow hazes Where the dreams of June are stayed, The hills, in their vanishing mazes, Carry the flush, and fade!
From Historic Shrines of America Being the Story of One Hundred and Twenty Historic Buildings and the Pioneers Who Made Them Notable by John T. (John Thomson) Faris
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
"To disarm them all is unacceptable to the Afars," Meles explains.
From Time Magazine Archive
Neighboring Ethiopia, which contains large numbers of Afars, backs the tribe's cause in French Somaliland.
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
The trouble was that they were registered to vote in fewer numbers than the Afars, a rival tribe that wants to stay tied to France.
From Time Magazine Archive
Djibouti: The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became Djibouti in 1977.
From The 2001 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency
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.
