far

[ fahr ]

/ fɑr /

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See synonyms for: far / farther / farthest / further on Thesaurus.com

adverb

at or to a great distance; a long way off; at or to a remote point: We sailed far ahead of the fleet.

at or to a remote or advanced time: We talked far into the night.

at or to a great, advanced, or definite point of progress, or degree: Having come this far, we might as well continue.

much or many: I need far more time. We gained far more advantages.

adjective, far·ther or fur·ther, far·thest or fur·thest.

being at a great distance; remote in time or place: a far country;the far future.

extending to a great distance: the far frontiers of empire.

more distant of the two: the far side.

having or representing extreme political views or beliefs: parties on the far left;the rise of the far right.

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Idioms about far

a far cry (from). cry (def. 27).

as far as. as¹ (def. 18).

by far,

by a great deal; very much: too expensive by far.
plainly; obviously: This melon is by far the ripest of the lot.

far and away, by far; undoubtedly: She is far and away the smartest one in the class.

far and wide, to great lengths; over great distances: He traveled far and wide in search of his missing son.Also far and near, near and far.

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.

far out, Slang.

unconventional; offbeat: His sense of humor is far out.
radical; extreme: political opinions that are far out.
recondite or esoteric: an interest in art that was considered far out.

few and far between. few (def. 5).

go far,

to attain success: With so much talent he should go far.
to have a great effect toward; help: The new evidence will go far toward proving the defendant's guilt.

how far, to what distance, extent, or degree: She didn't know how far they had gone in the mathematics text.How far do you think they can be trusted?

on the far side of. side¹ (def. 26).

so far,

up to now: So far, I've had no reply to my request.
up to a certain point or extent: We were able to plan only so far because of various factors beyond our control.

so far so good, succeeding or managing adequately to this point; doing well thus far: The work is difficult, but so far so good.

the far side. side¹ (def. 29).

thus far,

up to the present; up to now: We have met no resistance to our plan thus far.
to a particular degree, point, or extent: When you get thus far in the experiment, consult with the professor.

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”

usage note for far

See as¹, farther.

OTHER WORDS FROM far

far·ness, nouno·ver·far, adverb, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH far

fair, far , fare

Words nearby far

fap, FAQ, faqih, faqir, faquir, far, farad, Faraday, Faraday cage, Faraday dark space, Faraday effect

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use far in a sentence

The GOP’s proposals thus far, she has argued for months, would do little to stem the hardship faced by Americans struggling amid the pandemic.
Trump moves closer to Pelosi in economic aid talks, and House speaker must decide next move|Rachael Bade, Erica Werner|September 17, 2020|Washington Post
People could and did leave home, though with far fewer options for where they might go.
William Barr is the poster child for politicized law enforcement officials|Philip Bump|September 17, 2020|Washington Post
Joe Biden’s YouTube channel has far fewer videos — and viewers.
Trump’s most popular YouTube ad is a stew of manipulated video|Glenn Kessler, Meg Kelly|September 17, 2020|Washington Post
As far as what we’re doing with the new virus, I think that we’re doing a great job.
Timeline: The 124 times Trump has downplayed the coronavirus threat|Aaron Blake, JM Rieger|September 17, 2020|Washington Post

The ruling is considered an outlier, however, as most courts have so far upheld the power of governors or mayors to impose restrictions to contend with an urgent public health emergency.
Courts may reconsider temporary coronavirus restrictions as pandemic drags on|Anne Gearan, Karin Brulliard|September 16, 2020|Washington Post
So far, all the players seemed to be willing to wait their turn.
The Golden State Preps for the ‘Red Wedding’ of Senate Races|David Freedlander|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
As far as I can tell, this magazine spent as much time making fun of French politicians as it did of Muslims or Islam.
Harry Shearer on The Dangerous Business of Satire|Lloyd Grove|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
How far has Congress really evolved on race when in 50 years it has gone from one black senator to two?
The Unbearable Whiteness of Congress|Dean Obeidallah|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But sources said that the evidence so far is pointing away from an ISIS connection.
U.S. Spies See Al Qaeda Fingerprints on Paris Massacre|Shane Harris, Nancy A. Youssef|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I think the response of the French government so far has been pretty appropriate in that regard.
Harry Shearer on The Dangerous Business of Satire|Lloyd Grove|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
However, they were not seen to venture far into the surrounding deciduous forest.
Summer Birds From the Yucatan Peninsula|Erwin E. Klaas
Suddenly, however, he became aware of a small black spot far ahead in the very middle of the unencumbered track.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
In the evening, St. Peter's and its accessories were illuminated—by far the most brilliant spectacle I ever saw.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
Thus far Boston banks have received more benefits from this bank than have the other banks in this district.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
Sleek finds it far harder work than fortune-making; but he pursues his Will-o'-the-Wisp with untiring energy.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills

British Dictionary definitions for far

far

/ (fɑː) /

adverb farther, further, farthest or furthest

at, to, or from a great distance

at or to a remote timefar in the future

to a considerable degree; very mucha far better plan

as far as

to the degree or extent that
to the distance or place of
informal with reference to; as for

by far by a considerable margin

far and away by a very great margin

far and wide over great distances; everywhere

far be it from me I would not presume; on no accountfar be it from me to tell you what to do

far gone

in an advanced state of deterioration
informal extremely drunk

go far

to be successful; achieve muchyour son will go far
to be sufficient or last longthe wine didn't go far

go too far to exceed reasonable limits

how far? to what extent, distance, or degree?

in so far as to the degree or extent that

so far

up to the present moment
up to a certain point, extent, degree, etc

so far, so good an expression of satisfaction with progress made

adjective (prenominal)

remote in space or timea far country; in the far past

extending a great distance; long

more distantthe far end of the room

a far cry

a long way
something very different

far from in a degree, state, etc, remote fromhe is far from happy

Derived forms of far

farness, noun

Word Origin for far

Old English feorr; related to Old Frisian fīr, Old High German ferro, Latin porro forwards, Greek pera further

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with far

far

In addition to the idioms beginning with far

far afield
far and away
far and near
far and wide
far be it from one to
far cry from, a
far from
far gone
far out

also see:

as far as
as far as possible
as far as that goes
by far
carry too far
few and far between
go far
go so far as to
go too far
so far
so far so good