far
Americanadverb
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at or to a great distance; a long way off; at or to a remote point.
We sailed far ahead of the fleet.
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at or to a remote or advanced time.
We talked far into the night.
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at or to a great, advanced, or definite point of progress, or degree.
Having come this far, we might as well continue.
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much or many.
I need far more time.
We gained far more advantages.
adjective
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being at a great distance; remote in time or place: the far future.
a far country;
the far future.
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extending to a great distance.
the far frontiers of empire.
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more distant of the two.
the far side.
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having or representing extreme political views or beliefs.
parties on the far left;
the rise of the far right.
idioms
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as far as. as.
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on the far side of. side.
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a far cry (from). cry.
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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.
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few and far between. few.
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so far,
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up to now.
So far, I've had no reply to my request.
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up to a certain point or extent.
We were able to plan only so far because of various factors beyond our control.
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far and away, by far; undoubtedly.
She is far and away the smartest one in the class.
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the far side. side.
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far out,
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His sense of humor is far out.
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political opinions that are far out.
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recondite or esoteric.
an interest in art that was considered far out.
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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?
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go far,
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to attain success.
With so much talent he should go far.
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to have a great effect toward; help.
The new evidence will go far toward proving the defendant's guilt.
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by far,
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by a great deal; very much.
too expensive by far.
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plainly; obviously.
This melon is by far the ripest of the lot.
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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.
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thus far,
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up to the present; up to now.
We have met no resistance to our plan thus far.
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to a particular degree, point, or extent.
When you get thus far in the experiment, consult with the professor.
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so far so good, succeeding or managing adequately to this point; doing well thus far.
The work is difficult, but so far so good.
adverb
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at, to, or from a great distance
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at or to a remote time
far in the future
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to a considerable degree; very much
a far better plan
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to the degree or extent that
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to the distance or place of
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informal with reference to; as for
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by a considerable margin
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by a very great margin
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over great distances; everywhere
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I would not presume; on no account
far be it from me to tell you what to do
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in an advanced state of deterioration
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informal extremely drunk
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to be successful; achieve much
your son will go far
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to be sufficient or last long
the wine didn't go far
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to exceed reasonable limits
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to what extent, distance, or degree?
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to the degree or extent that
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up to the present moment
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up to a certain point, extent, degree, etc
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an expression of satisfaction with progress made
adjective
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remote in space or time
a far country
in the far past
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extending a great distance; long
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more distant
the far end of the room
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a long way
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something very different
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in a degree, state, etc, remote from
he is far from happy
Usage
Other Word Forms
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”
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
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 is far along in the final testing phase to operate at airports in Nashville, Las Vegas, Miami, Atlanta and Dallas Love Field.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
So far his biggest hiring move has been recruiting former Mattel chief Ynon Kreiz to be co-CEO.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
His over-anxious approach at the plate so far this postseason followed him into the at-bat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Based on his observations thus far, Spasojevic believes the burros could play an important role in the local ecosystem by grazing on non-native grasses and preventing them from overtaking native plants.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Its grand prize is a rainbow sunfish, and as far as giant stuffed animals go, it’s one of the nicest.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Although the surrounding clay in the vessels came from Tampa Bay, some of the crushed material mixed into it appears to have originated farther north in the Mississippian heartland.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
I would say that this as a potential application is a bit more farther out, though.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
And when you roast, push things a little farther than may initially feel instinctive.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
Arizona and New Mexico will probably get substantial rains, he said, and the storm could also bring enough moisture farther north to give the Colorado River’s depleted reservoirs a small boost.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
He lowered his voice even further, waiting for me to lean even farther to him before speaking again.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
The boundary of the observable universe is not merely the farthest distance our telescopes can currently reach.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026
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
"While many of you may view this indictment and view this matter as a simple investigation, it is the farthest thing from that," FBI Director Kash Patel said at a press conference.
From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2026
The hard kids' zone's farthest from the door.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
He probably thought he was a little further down the road than he really is.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Schiff said the new data further demonstrate “the urgent need to act and pass a federal film tax proposal to stop the exodus of production to other countries offering more competitive incentives.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
That number grew to 18% in 1970 and increased further to an estimated 29% by 2022.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
Lack of information from the Russian government has further stoked anxiety about the nature of her death.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
I was exhausted beyond any further movement and there were no more trees or buoys in sight.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
Herzog’s adventurous spirit has led him to explore the furthest reaches of the globe, but also inward to map the strangest recesses of the heart.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 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
But combining plenty of aerobic activity with one to two hours of strength training brought the risk down furthest of all – by around 45%.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026
Hermione, of course, seemed to have progressed furthest.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
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.
