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:
Bennett appeared far more confident than he did against the Chiefs, when the Rams went three-and-out on his first series against many defensive starters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
While it was 30C or more outside, inside many classrooms it felt far hotter.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
So far, he has not gone that far.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
Perhaps most importantly, it offers many physical and mental health benefits that go far beyond the numbers on the scale.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
But all talk failed, and those present scattered as fast and as far away as they could before the cage was opened.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
A bit farther down the list sits yet another Vanguard fund that casts the widest possible net, owning 10,000 stocks globally.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
The unprecedented $30 million dollar mission attempted to send a robot to grab the telescope and move it farther into orbit.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
These forces help explain why Saturn's cusp appears much farther toward the afternoon and evening than the equivalent region at Earth.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026
Ahmed had already taken most of his belongings and those of his wife’s to another area farther west.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
He looked around for her light and finally saw it fifty yards farther out, bobbing in the windblown whitecaps.
From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith
Some of the smallest fragments, known as cryptotephra, travel the farthest distances.
From Science Daily ● May 11, 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
And banish this phrase—“You’re away,” the needless etiquette of having the player farthest from the hole hit first after tee shots and other shots approaching the green.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026
Shortly after, the crew members will reach their farthest point from Earth at roughly 252,760 miles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2026
Neither makes eye contact as they settle into the chairs farthest from me.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
The collapse comes after more than a year of on-again, off-again trade talks, which intensified in recent weeks after a US-imposed deadline to strike a deal or face further tariffs.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Several bills are being considered by the California Legislature that would further regulate detention centers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
The loss of skipper Alex Lees to the first ball of the innings proved deceptive as McKinney and Rhodes took the game further away from the hosts.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Boeing said it hasn’t scheduled further talks with SPEEA, and the earliest a strike could occur is Oct.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
He shifted further along, dropping the thin gold twigs down to Mal’s waiting hands.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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
Verified video shows three yellow blocks recently placed there, the furthest of which is more than 300m from the Yellow Line mapped after the ceasefire.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
And in this sphere of the game, Americans were the furthest thing from underdogs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Hardt reminds Klugo to go to parties and enjoy his high school experience, but it’s the furthest thing from Klugo’s mind.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
But today, it’s the furthest thing from my mind.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
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.
