further

American  

[fur-ther] / ˈfɜr ðər /

adverb

1. at or to a greater distance; farther.

   I'm too tired to go further.

2. at or to a more advanced point; to a greater extent.

   Let's not discuss it further.

3. in addition; moreover.

   Further, he should be here any minute.

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adjective

1. more distant or remote; farther.

   The map shows it to be further than I thought.

2. more extended.

   Does this mean a further delay?

3. additional; more.

   Further meetings seem pointless.

verb (used with object)

• furthers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• furthered,
  past participle,  past
• furthering
  present participle

1. to help forward (a work, undertaking, cause, etc.); promote; advance; forward.

   You can always count on him to further his own interests.

further British  

/ ˈfɜːðə /

adverb

1. in addition; furthermore

2. to a greater degree or extent

3. to or at a more advanced point

4. to or at a greater distance in time or space; farther

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adjective

1. additional; more

2. more distant or remote in time or space; farther

verb

1. (tr) to assist the progress of; promote

further Idioms  

1. see without further ado.

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Usage

What’s the difference between further and farther? Further commonly means to a greater figurative distance, as in Nothing could be further from the truth, or to a greater extent, as in Let’s discuss this further. It can also mean at or to a greater literal distance. This is what farther most commonly means, as in a few steps farther or two miles farther or We’re moving even farther away. The traditional distinction is that farther is used for literal distances and that further should be used for figurative distances or metaphorical extents, though in everyday communication, they are often used interchangeably, with further being often used for literal distances and farther being used to mean at a more advanced point or to a great extent. However, further is used in a few ways that farther is not. Further can be used as a verb meaning to advance something, such as an agenda or cause, as in This will help to further our cause. As an adjective, further can mean more extended, as in further delays, or additional, as in We will hold further meetings. It can also be used in the beginning of a sentence or clause to mean the same thing as furthermore, in addition, or moreover, as in I don’t like ice cream. Further, I don’t like pistachios. So why would you buy me pistachio ice cream? You can remember that farther is typically used for literal distance by remembering that it’s the comparative form of the adjective far, with the superlative form being farthest. Here’s an example of further and farther used correctly in the same sentence. Example: I have to drive farther than usual for work today—I’ll explain further when I get home. Want to learn more? Go the distance by reading the full breakdown of the difference between further and farther.

Commonly Confused

See farther.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• furtherer
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• furthering
  present
• furthered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• further
  simple
• furthers
  simple
• have furthered
  perfect
• has furthered
  perfect
• am furthering
  progressive
• are furthering
  progressive
• is furthering
  progressive
• have been furthering
  perfect progressive
• has been furthering
  perfect progressive

Past

• furthered
  simple
• had furthered
  perfect
• was furthering
  progressive
• were furthering
  progressive
• had been furthering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will further
  simple
• will have furthered
  perfect
• will be furthering
  progressive
• will have been furthering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of further

First recorded before 900; Middle English furthere, Old English furthra; cognate with German vordere “more advanced”

Explanation

If you ask your parents for money, they might say they need to think about it further and then ask you lots of questions. Further refers to figurative distance, like a thought you need more time on. Further often gets confused with farther, but it's better to use further to mean an abstract distance, when two things are moving apart in terms of ideals, agreement, or thoughts, and farther when you're talking about physical distance. There's also a verb form of further that means "to promote the growth or progress of," which you might use in a sentence like, "These new gigs should help her further her career as a rock musician."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

further furthers furthered furthering

VIllarreal: Before we delve further into “The Testaments,” I do want point out this moment onstage at the Academy Awards.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

They are now undergoing further tests to establish their age and identity, police added.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

Tencent has further accelerated ramping up its compute infrastructure to support the anticipated release of the Hy4 model later this year and Weixin AI agent.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

German steel giant Thyssenkrupp said Thursday that it was monitoring water levels in the Rhine and ready to respond if they drop further, after boat deliveries of raw material deliveries were disrupted.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

I zoom in further and point out the red rectangle.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

But Dan Wasiolek, senior equity analyst at Morningstar, told MarketWatch that the deal furthers his belief that prediction-market competition is overstated.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 1, 2026

As MMA solidifies, “it produces heat, and then in producing that heat, it furthers the chain reaction, so it keeps going and going and going,” Bernal said.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026

"Those early years were bit parts, chorus lines, lots of rejection... but my dear dad always reminded me that perseverance furthers, that was his motto."

From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2026

It is the latest acquisition by the Wall Street firm to broaden its offerings to clients outside of traditional investing and furthers Chief Executive David Solomon’s goal of building up the bank’s asset-management division.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 1, 2025

And character must be economically handled, so that as it is revealed the revelation at the same time furthers the story, pushing it forward instead of holding it static while the character is being unfolded.

From How to See a Play by Sir Richard Francis Burton

Super Micro has been working its way back into Wall Street’s good graces, and its latest earnings report furthered the cause.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

These experts then furthered the complexity of the systems under their purview, creating a self-sustaining cycle in which ever more expertise was required to deal with ever more complexity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 18, 2026

Mr. Francis’ actions not only degraded the 7th Fleet’s readiness but shook the Fleet’s trust in its leadership who furthered his corrupt practices,” Kelly said.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2024

But a lot of my artistic heroes have furthered a vision through age.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2024

And since it doesn’t come naturally to many elementary students, it must be furthered by doing numerous problems, some practical, some more fanciful.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

GSK in June announced a $10.6-billion deal for Nuvalent, a Boston-based specialist in cancer treatments, furthering its push into both oncology and the United States.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

Yet, Inouye-Perez and Fernandez not only chose to stick around the game, but to reinvest their time in furthering the league and sport altogether.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

A spokesman for USA Rare Earth says the company is “making significant strides in furthering America’s strategic interests.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

And though the suit doesn’t name the classmate, her name has now leaked via court documents, furthering an already pronounced imbalance of power.

From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026

After the war Fankuchen lost interest in viruses, and, though Bernal dabbled at protein crystallography, he was more concerned about furthering good relations with the Communist countries.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson

Related Words

• encourage
• expedite
• facilitate
• hasten
• help
• promote
• speed