fare
Americannoun
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the price of conveyance or passage in a bus, train, airplane, or other vehicle.
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a person or persons who pay to be conveyed in a vehicle; paying passenger.
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a person who hires a public vehicle and its driver.
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hearty fare.
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something offered to the public, for entertainment, enjoyment, consumption, etc..
literary fare.
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Archaic. state of things.
verb (used without object)
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to experience good or bad fortune, treatment, etc.; get on.
He fared well in his profession.
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to go; turn out; happen (used impersonally).
It fared ill with him.
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to go; travel.
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to eat and drink.
They fared sumptuously.
noun
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the sum charged or paid for conveyance in a bus, train, aeroplane, etc
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a paying passenger, esp when carried by taxi
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a range of food and drink; diet
verb
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to get on (as specified); manage
he fared well
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to turn out or happen as specified
it fared badly with him
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archaic to eat
we fared sumptuously
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archaic (often foll by forth) to go or travel
Synonym Usage
See food.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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faresimple
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faressimple
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have faredperfect
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has faredperfect
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am faringprogressive
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are faringprogressive
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is faringprogressive
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have been faringperfect progressive
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has been faringperfect progressive
Past
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faredsimple
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had faredperfect
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was faringprogressive
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were faringprogressive
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had been faringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fare
First recorded before 1000; Middle English faren, Old English faran; cognate with German fahren, Old Norse fara, Gothic faran; akin to emporium, port 5, pram 2
Explanation
It's not fair that fare means three unrelated things. As a verb, it means to proceed or get along, as in "Fare thee well." As a noun, it can refer to the cost of travel ("Train fare is ten dollars") or to food ("Tatertots are typical cafeteria fare"). Although this word has multiple meanings, they can all be traced back to the Old English root for "journey." If you’re taking a trip, fare well! If you do fare well, you'll have a great time. A taxi looking for a fare might give you a ride to the airport (though you'll have to pay the fare). And if you didn’t bring your own food, you’ll have to eat airplane fare. Fare is a handy word to bring on a journey!
Vocabulary lists containing fare
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"The Civil Rights Movement"
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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:
Burnham has announced a series of new measures since assuming office last week, including cuts to electricity bills and bringing the bus fare cap in most parts of England back down to £2.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
For centuries, they have dished up wine from the surrounding vineyards to wash down typically hearty central European fare.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
The bus fare cap in England will revert to £2 from January, new prime minister Andy Burnham has announced.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Those restaurants serve elevated fare with price tags to match, but you don’t have to splurge on tasting menus to eat well.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Thus the category ‘discovery’ proved to be capable of disseminating across the various local cultures of Renaissance Europe, but it did not fare well elsewhere.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
JetBlue Airways recorded a bigger loss in the second quarter stemming from higher jet fuel prices, though it blunted about half of that damage with higher fares and strong customer demand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Airlines have been raising fares to mitigate the impact of inflated fuel prices since the war in Iran sent oil prices surging earlier this year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
He unveiled the removal of a tax on household electricity bills, a planned cap on most bus fares in England and a 20 percent reduction in business rates for pubs, clubs, and live music venues.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
On Thursday, it was business rates in England; on Wednesday, it was bus fares in England and on Tuesday, it was a VAT cut on electricity bills.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
"Remember, maegi, as the khal fares, so shall you."
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
He estimated there was maybe a 4-foot wind chop and said smaller vessels out in the water fared fine.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Her daughters fared better; Goodwin’s sister spent 33 years as a city worker, and chose her own retirement date at 67.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
Memory companies have fared even worse; SK Hynix 000660 -6.06%decrease; down pointing triangle and Micron each lost 17% and 15%, respectively, in that time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
Three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber fared better in her 2024 comeback, but lost in the first round in all three of her major appearances.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
Wolf fared better, as his narrow chest cut the snow like a canoe slicing water.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
She has been eliminated in the first round of singles at several tournaments while faring better in doubles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
The suit isn’t faring so well in court, as the judge has questioned whether the two parties are “sufficiently adverse to each other.”
From Slate ● May 16, 2026
The digital payments company beat first-quarter earnings estimates and boosted its guidance, a reassuring sign to investors that its business is faring well after mass layoffs in February.
From Barron's ● May 8, 2026
Breach described High Streets as one of the most "visible barometers" of how a local economy is faring, saying where High Streets are performing badly voters expect intervention which requires more than cosmetic change.
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
As rickety and feeble as I felt, it was obvious that everyone else except Stuart Hutchison was faring even worse.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
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.
