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:
So far this year, Los Angeles County has seen 100 cases of West Nile virus, resulting in five deaths, the county’s Department of Public Health said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
So far, however, the prevailing sentiment on Wall Street is that while airlines may reduce their capacity slightly, it won’t be by as much as they did this spring and summer.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
A former vice president of Costa Rica, Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis, has so far won two of three secret ballots, but her level of support among members of the P5 is unknown.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
Sri Lanka, much improved in the field but far too timid with the bat, were bowled out for 176.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
At Ravensbruck, munitions transport was considered a privilege; food and living conditions in the factories were said to be far better than here in the camp.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
When one executive noticed and ordered the flowers put back in a particular spot, Perea complied there, then made the same swap a little farther down the hillside, out of view.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
Still, buyers who move a little farther from the city, buy a smaller home or settle for more modest finishes are finding that it is still possible to buy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
A giant planet much farther out should take even longer.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026
According to the traditional explanation, that influence becomes progressively weaker as it moves farther from the original atom.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
The Tuscan had flooded farther upstream, too, washing out several homes.
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
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
Eala, 21, went the farthest any Filipina had gone in a Grand Slam event, reaching the fourth round and eliminating defending champion Iga Swiatek of Poland along the way.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
They were in Category 3, some of the farthest from the field in FIFA’s four-category system, and priced at $1,232 each.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
Some of the smallest fragments, known as cryptotephra, travel the farthest distances.
From Science Daily ● May 11, 2026
We’ll each make a flying craft/object/thing out of clay, and then we’ll have a contest to see whose flings the farthest across the room off of a big metal T square mounted to his desk.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
Classes at the University of La Verne were canceled until further notice, and students, faculty and staff were asked to leave immediately.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
“But as long as oil and natural gas prices don’t rise a lot further, we think that household consumption will continue to increase,” he added.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
Xbox's announcement of a further 268 cut jobs comes after Sharma revealed in July that the company was "beginning the most significant restructure in Xbox history".
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
Definitions of bond terms are further down in this article.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
H decided to wait till they were further from the camp.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Scientists say it is the furthest recorded distance for any African land mammal searching for a mate, offering hope that wildlife can travel across vast distances despite growing human pressures.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
“I hate to say it, but Blythe’s in the middle of nowhere, we’re the furthest from Sacramento, I just hate to say it again, we’re only a few votes out here.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 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
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
Usually I take the stall furthest away, next to the window, but I let Carlos have it.
From "Ghost Boys" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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.
