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

• 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

Further afield, guests can also enjoy activities such as heliskiing, whale watching, hiking, and horse riding, with the lodge also offering customizable tour packages and transportation options, including a 10-minute helicopter transfer from Akureyri Airport. —Mia Taylor, Boston Herald, 7 Sep. 2025

Seeking to chronicle some of Jacobs’ interests and obsessions, Coppola can veer too far afield. —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2025

According to reports, various outside powers in the Middle East, Africa and further afield have provided military assistance to one or other of the rival sides, complicating efforts to end the conflict. —Robert Birsel john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025

Many of the major LLMs encompass various automated safeguards that seek to detect whether the brief chat might have wandered afield of suitable protocols. —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 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