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.
Eager for insights similar to those she had found in the lifeguarding manual, Ms. Eubanks searched for courses on rescue and survival, around Troy and farther afield.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
But housing charity Shelter argues the rise of property guardianship shows how people are being forced "further and further afield just to keep a roof over their heads".
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
But with growth slowing after several exceptional years, the company -- which also produces vodka, the bitter Picon aperitif and the orange and cognac-based Grand Marnier -- is looking further afield.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Mollie Hitchen, assistant manager of Marple Travel Hyde, says customers were more nervous this year about going anywhere near the Middle East, or getting stuck somewhere further afield because of fuel shortages.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
We’re standing in afield of apple green grass with soft wisps of clouds drifting above.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
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.
