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

Finds Connecting Britain to the World Royal burials like that at Sutton Hoo, Suffolk, and Prittlewell, Essex, contained objects from far afield, including Byzantine silver bowls and a jug from the eastern Mediterranean. —Duncan Sayer, JSTOR Daily, 2 Oct. 2025

While acknowledging that Priscilla Queen of the Desert 2 will travel further afield than Australia and venture overseas, Elliott refuses to reveal more. —Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2025

Since then, dozens of countries, as far afield as the United Kingdom, have supported the ruling, underscoring the global importance of these waterways. —Susannah Patton, Foreign Affairs, 25 Sep. 2025

Further afield in Dresden, discover the Royal Palace, the reconstructed Frauenkirche, and the Fuerstenzug, a 330-foot mural made of Meissen porcelain. —AFAR Media, 18 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