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far

[fahr]
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adverb
  1. at or to a great distance; a long way off; at or to a remote point: We sailed far ahead of the fleet.
  2. at or to a remote or advanced time: We talked far into the night.
  3. at or to a great, advanced, or definite point of progress, or degree: Having come this far, we might as well continue.
  4. much or many: I need far more time. We gained far more advantages.
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adjective, far·ther or fur·ther, far·thest or fur·thest.
  1. being at a great distance; remote in time or place: a far country; the far future.
  2. extending to a great distance: the far frontiers of empire.
  3. more distant of the two: the far side.
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Idioms
  1. a far cry (from). cry(def 27).
  2. as far as. as1(def 18).
  3. by far,
    1. by a great deal; very much: too expensive by far.
    2. plainly; obviously: This melon is by far the ripest of the lot.
  4. far and away, by far; undoubtedly: She is far and away the smartest one in the class.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. far out, Slang.
    1. unconventional; offbeat: His sense of humor is far out.
    2. radical; extreme: political opinions that are far out.
    3. recondite or esoteric: an interest in art that was considered far out.
  8. few and far between. few(def 5).
  9. go far,
    1. to attain success: With so much talent he should go far.
    2. to have a great effect toward; help: The new evidence will go far toward proving the defendant's guilt.
  10. 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?
  11. on the far side of. side1(def 26).
  12. so far,
    1. up to now: So far, I've had no reply to my request.
    2. up to a certain point or extent: We were able to plan only so far because of various factors beyond our control.
  13. so far so good, succeeding or managing adequately to this point; doing well thus far: The work is difficult, but so far so good.
  14. the far side. side1(def 29).
  15. thus far,
    1. up to the present; up to now: We have met no resistance to our plan thus far.
    2. to a particular degree, point, or extent: When you get thus far in the experiment, consult with the professor.
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Origin of far

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
Related formsfar·ness, nouno·ver·far, adverb, adjective
Can be confusedfair far fare

Usage note

See as1, farther.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for far and near

far

adverb farther, further, farthest or furthest
  1. at, to, or from a great distance
  2. at or to a remote timefar in the future
  3. to a considerable degree; very mucha far better plan
  4. as far as
    1. to the degree or extent that
    2. to the distance or place of
    3. informalwith reference to; as for
  5. by far by a considerable margin
  6. far and away by a very great margin
  7. far and wide over great distances; everywhere
  8. far be it from me I would not presume; on no accountfar be it from me to tell you what to do
  9. far gone
    1. in an advanced state of deterioration
    2. informalextremely drunk
  10. go far
    1. to be successful; achieve muchyour son will go far
    2. to be sufficient or last longthe wine didn't go far
  11. go too far to exceed reasonable limits
  12. how far? to what extent, distance, or degree?
  13. in so far as to the degree or extent that
  14. so far
    1. up to the present moment
    2. up to a certain point, extent, degree, etc
  15. so far, so good an expression of satisfaction with progress made
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adjective (prenominal)
  1. remote in space or timea far country; in the far past
  2. extending a great distance; long
  3. more distantthe far end of the room
  4. a far cry
    1. a long way
    2. something very different
  5. far from in a degree, state, etc, remote fromhe is far from happy
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Derived Formsfarness, noun

Word Origin

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

Word Origin and History for far and near

far

adj.

Old English feorr "far, remote, distant, to a great distance, long ago," from Proto-Germanic *ferro (cf. Old Saxon ferr, Old Frisian fer, Old Norse fjarre, Dutch ver, Old High German ferro, German fern, Gothic fairra), from PIE *per- "through, across, beyond" (cf. Sanskrit parah "farther, remote, ulterior," Hittite para "outside of," Greek pera "across, beyond," Latin per "through," Old Irish ire "farther"). Far East "China, Japan, and surrounding regions" is from 1838.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with far and near

far and near

Everywhere, at a distance and nearby. For example, People came from far and near to see the Pope. [c. a.d. 1000]

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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
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.