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

In recent years, various new flight routes have improved accessibility for those arriving from further afield too. —Tamara Hinson, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Mar. 2026

No shows further afield have yet been announced, but the handful of dates—which wrap with two nights at London’s Brixton Academy—take the band right up to the start of festival season. —Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 24 Mar. 2026

Further afield, in Europe, old-world wines from France and Italy are complemented by fairy-tale-like settings cloaked in cypress trees and lavender fields. —Kristin Braswell, Architectural Digest, 23 Mar. 2026

Devers is a good first baseman and wants to be great, and backups Koss and Schmitt excel afield, too. —Susan Slusser, San Francisco Chronicle, 23 Mar. 2026

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