far

1 of 3

adverb

ˈfär 

farther ˈfär-t͟hər  or further ˈfər-t͟hər  ; farthest or furthest ˈfər-t͟həst 

1

: at or to a considerable distance in space

wandered far from home

2

a

: to a great extent : much

far better methods

b

: by a broad interval : widely

the far distant future

3

: to or at a definite distance, point, or degree

as far as I know

4

: to an advanced point or extent

a bright student will go far

worked far into the night

5

: at a considerable distance in time

not far from the year 1870

far

2 of 3

adjective

farther or further; farthest or furthest

1

a

: remote in space

b

: distinctly different in quality or relationship

c

: remote in time

2

a

: long

a far journey

b

: of notable extent : comprehensive

a man of far vision

3

: the more distant of two

the far end

4

: extreme

the far left

a far right political organization

FAR

3 of 3

abbreviation

federal air regulation

Phrases

by far

: far and away

is by far the best runner

far be it from

: it would be inappropriate or impossible for

far be it from me to complain

far from

: of a distinctly different and especially opposite quality than

the trip was far from a failure

how far

: to what extent, degree, or distance

didn't know how far to trust them

so far

1

: to a certain extent, degree, or distance

when the water rose so far, we fled

2

: up to the present

has written one novel so far

thus far

: so far

thus far the results are negative

Synonyms

Adverb

• very
• extremely
• terribly
• incredibly
• too
• highly
• so
• much
• damn
• badly
• damned
• really
• most
• seriously
• severely
• desperately
• greatly
• wildly
• that

Adjective

• long
• lengthy

Examples of far in a Sentence

Adverb

The dog wandered far from home.

These new discoveries will allow us to see far into the past.

She lives far out in the country.

The house is set far back from the road.

The deadline is not far off.

regions far to the north

a town not far from Chicago

He still lives not far from where he was born.

The car is far too expensive.

His policies are far different from those of his predecessor.

Adjective

the far corners of the world

the far reaches of outer space

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

The advantages extend far beyond raw performance numbers. —Siyu Huang, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025

The family at the heart of the story run a tourism business allowing Cappadocia to feature in a way that naturally chimes with the narrative, but the connection between landscape and plot runs far deeper, series director Murat Saraçoğlu says. —Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 1 July 2025

Adjective

Argentina, at the bottom of South America, is a country way off course, and populated mostly with the children of Europeans for whom traveling is like breathing, who miss the world, the centers of culture, so very far way. —Suzanne Jill Levine june 30, Literary Hub, 30 June 2025

So far volumes on the continent are down 37% during the combined months of April and May. —Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 26 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

Middle English fer, from Old English feorr; akin to Old High German ferro far, Old English faran to go — more at fare

First Known Use

Adverb

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

Adjective

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

Phrases Containing far

• a far cry from
• a far sight
• as far as
• as far as (someone) is concerned
• as far as (something) is concerned
• as far as the eye can see
• as far/near as I can tell
• as/so far as one can see/tell/judge
• as/so far as one/someone knows
• as/so far as (someone) is concerned
• as/so far as (something) goes
• as/so far as (something) is concerned
• dolce far niente
• far and away
• far and near
• far and wide
• far cry
• far down
• far-fetched
• far-flung
• far from ideal
• far gone
• far-infrared
• far left
• far-off
• far-out
• far-reaching
• far-red
• far removed from
• far right
• far side
• far-ultraviolet
• few and far between
• from far and near
• from near and far
• go far
• go so far
• go too far
• on the far side of
• pushed things too far
• so far as
• so far, so good
• the far left
• the far right
• well/far along in years

Rhymes for far

• ar
• are
• bar
• barr
• car
• carr
• char
• charr
• czar
• farre
• haar
• har

Kids Definition

far

1 of 2 adverb

ˈfär 

farther -t͟hər  or further ˈfər-  ; farthest or furthest -t͟həst 

1

: at or to a great distance in space or time

far from home

2

: to a great extent : much

far better

3

: to or at a definite distance, point, or degree

as far as I know

4

: to an advanced point or extent : a long way

a smart student can go far

far

2 of 2 adjective

farther or further; farthest or furthest

1

: very distant in space or time

2

: long entry 1 sense 3

a far journey

3

: the more distant of two

the far side of the lake