farther

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adverb far·ther \ ˈfär-t͟hər \

Definition of farther

1 :at or to a greater distance or more advanced point

got no farther than the first page

nothing could be farther from the truth

2 :to a greater degree or extent

see to it that I do not have to act any farther in the matter
—Bernard DeVoto

See farther defined for English-language learners

See farther defined for kids

farther vs. further

Farther and further have been used more or less interchangeably throughout most of their history, but currently they are showing signs of diverging. As adverbs they continue to be used interchangeably whenever spatial, temporal, or metaphorical distance is involved. But where there is no notion of distance, further is used.

- our techniques can be further refined

Further is also used as a sentence modifier

- further, the workshop participants were scarcely optimistic
- —L. B. Mayhew

, but farther is not. A polarizing process appears to be taking place in their adjective use. Farther is taking over the meaning of distance

- the farther shore

and further the meaning of addition.

- needed no further invitation

Examples of farther in a Sentence

It's farther away than I'd thought.
they had traveled farther down the Colorado River than any previous explorers

Recent Examples of farther from the Web

Farther away, 270 miles south of Santiago, are the uncrowded beaches of Buchupureo.

— javiera quiroga, Bloomberg.com, "Adrenaline-Craving Bankers Are Driving a Surfing Boom in Chile," 30 Aug. 2017
As Danckaerts discovered, an Indian who wanted to buy alcohol didn’t need to look farther than the next white homestead.

— Longreads, "America’s First Addiction Epidemic," 29 Aug. 2017
Restaurant a little farther down the road in Cornelius.

— kathleen purvis, charlotteobserver, "Ramen Soul in Mooresville is making big changes," 29 Aug. 2017
Scientists are relying on Webb to peer into the universe farther than ever before, showing humanity the earliest stars and galaxies.

— marina koren, The Atlantic, "NASA's New Space Telescope Is in Harvey's Path," 28 Aug. 2017
Now, like so many other chefs who are looking for opportunity, lower occupancy costs and a chance to balance their personal and professional lives, Mr. Pollinger is working farther afield.

— tejal rao, New York Times, "New York Chefs Move Beyond the City," 28 Aug. 2017
Researchers knew that some whales swam farther north, to the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

— erik stokstad, Science | AAAS, "Endangered right whales are dying in record numbers off Canada, raising alarm," 24 Aug. 2017
The sight-lines were horrible, with fans pushed farther from the field to preserve the shape of the pitcher’s mound.

— sam mcdowell, kansascity, "The evolution of a fan base: Sporting KC to reach 100 straight sellouts Saturday," 18 Aug. 2017
Fortunately for us, the brothers have a few relatives farther from the throne who feel unencumbered enough to open social-media accounts and share the odd selfie.

— vanityfair.com, "Meet the British Royal Family Member Posting Sexy Instagram Selfies," 28 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'farther.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of farther

Middle English ferther, alteration of further

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

farther Synonyms

Synonyms

beyond, further, yon, yonder

farther

adjective

Definition of farther

1 :more distant :remoter

the farther side of town

2 :further 2

clearing his throat preparatory to farther revelations
—Edith Wharton

See farther defined for English-language learners

Examples of farther in a Sentence

the farther side of town
for farther information on this condition, you should consult your family physician

Recent Examples of farther from the Web

Zachary Burns of Redmond, a town located about 100 miles farther inland than Keizer, recalls his telescope-hobbyist father first told him about the eclipse about a year ago.

— alasdair wilkins, The Atlantic, "Small Towns Prepare to Cash In for the Solar Eclipse," 14 Aug. 2017
Many passengers hoped that the new drop-off spot - a farther distance that requires two escalator (or elevator rides) to get to the main terminal - would be temporary.

— susan glaser, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Hopkins moving Brown Lot shuttle drop-off/pickup location to new Ground Transportation Center," 7 July 2017
Often, Isaac - whom Pappion credits as her biggest supporter - and their daughters accompany her on those farther painting gigs in places like Baton Rouge or Houston.

— sarah bonnette, NOLA.com, "Divinely inspired Mandeville artist finds joy in live painting," 1 July 2017
The watershed includes parts of six states and Washington, D.C., which often were at odds over responsibilities of those nearest the bay and those farther upstream.

— john flesher, The Christian Science Monitor, "Environmental advocates make case for federal involvement in cleaning waterways," 24 May 2017
The watershed includes parts of six states and Washington, D.C., which often were at odds over responsibilities of those nearest the bay and those farther upstream.

— john flesher, The Seattle Times, "Advocates: Federal role crucial for iconic waterway cleanups," 23 May 2017
The Brown House at Rapidan Camp President Herbert Hoover was born and raised farther west of Washington than any president before him, giving him an appreciation for wilderness rivaled only by Teddy Roosevelt.

— gillian brockell, Washington Post, "Trump, Camp David, Mar-a-Lago and the history of presidential retreats," 15 May 2017
The leadership by McCaul and Cornyn signal a desire to put together a conservative bill that can pass both the House and Senate, but avoid pitfalls by the farther right wing on immigration policy, many of which Trump has aligned himself with.

— tal kopan, CNN, "First on CNN: Texas lawmakers working with Trump admin on immigration bill," 10 May 2017
The Kepler space telescope , NASA's dedicated exoplanet hunter, has provided a new look at the gas giant Neptune, and the observations could reveal more about much farther worlds that lie outside our solar system.

— Fox News, "NASA's alien-planet hunter spacecraft gets a new look at Neptune," 9 May 2017