afield
Americanadverb
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abroad; away from home.
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off the beaten path; far and wide.
to go afield in one's reading.
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off the mark.
His criticism was totally afield.
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in or to the field or countryside.
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beyond the range or field of one's experience, knowledge, acquaintanceship, etc..
a philosophy far afield of previous philosophical thought.
adverb
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away from one's usual surroundings or home (esp in the phrase far afield )
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off the subject; away from the point (esp in the phrase far afield )
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in or to the field, esp the battlefield
Etymology
Origin of afield
before 1000; Middle English afelde, Old English on felda. See a- 1, field
Explanation
Afield means at a far distance. When you go far afield, you travel a very long way. If your job takes you halfway around the world, you can say that you work far afield, and if you and your siblings live on different continents, your family is spread far afield. You'll almost always see the word "far" before afield, since it describes long distances. The word was originally a contraction of the Middle English in felde, from the Old English on felda, "in the field."
Vocabulary lists containing afield
The Hunger Games
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The Odyssey
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The Girl Who Drank the Moon
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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.
Gradually, the person experiencing dementia is farther afield from their old self than anyone expects.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
So, it is not surprising that dozens of dentists are now targeting customers from further afield.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Marwa, her mother and her sisters eventually ventured further afield, taking trips to Walmart and Target.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
Before you go further afield, though, go back to Acme itself.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
Some of the younger warders took me quite far afield, and we would walk on the beach and even stop at a cafe and have tea.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
