afield

adverb or adjective

ə-ˈfēld 

1

: to, in, or on the field

was weak at bat but strong afield

2

: away from home : abroad

3

: out of the way : astray

irrelevant remarks that carried us far afield

Synonyms of afield

• wrong
• astray
• awry

Examples of afield in a Sentence

how did we get so far afield from the subject we intended to discuss?

Recent Examples on the Web

These are clearly far afield for the university. —Jimmy Wales, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2025

Fort Lauderdale is much more than a beach town too, and visitors staying on the water would do well to venture further afield. —Stacey Lastoe, Southern Living, 24 Oct. 2025

Veneziale’s dad is often responsible for picking up items further afield, such as an animated phantom that had been listed on Facebook Marketplace. —Laura Kiniry, Popular Science, 22 Oct. 2025

This season also marks the beginning of the NBA’s lucrative new broadcast deal, which for the first time includes a streaming giant, Amazon Prime, in part to expand the league’s global reach, while games are being played as far afield as the UAE and Australia. —Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 21 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English afelde, going back to Old English on felda, on felde, from on on entry 1 + felda, felde, dative of feld field entry 1

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for afield

• airfield
• annealed
• appealed
• brownfield
• coalfield
• concealed
• congealed
• cornfield
• downfield
• goldfield
• hayfield
• infield

Kids Definition

afield

adverb

ə-ˈfēld 

1

: to, in, or on the field

2

: away from home

3

: out of a regular, planned, or proper course : astray