farther

adverb far·ther \ ˈfär-t͟hər \

|Updated on: 15 Jul 2018

Usage guide: farther vs. further

Examples: farther in a Sentence

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

In a Dunkirk-like maneuver, George Washington was able to evacuate his army to Manhattan and then farther north, saving the bulk of his fighting force.

— harrison smith, Washington Post, "‘Turn out your dead!’ In America’s War for Independence, POWs paid a terrible price.," 4 July 2018
Image Ayse and Firat Okcu paid $400,000 for a three-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bath colonial in Ridgefield Park in 2016 after considering two towns farther north in Bergen County, Emerson and Oradell, for their strong school systems.

— jay levin, New York Times, "Ridgefield Park, N.J.: A 21st-Century Mayberry," 4 July 2018
That school was built farther north and is now Metea Valley High School.

— steve lord, Aurora Beacon-News, "Aurora set to authorize old and new special service areas," 22 June 2018
About 100 boats moored on the east side of the yacht club were moved to other moorings farther north in the small boat basin.

— sandiegouniontribune.com, "May 24, 1960: Tsunami reaches San Diego," 24 May 2018
Then, there is a high-pressure system over Eastern Canada blocking the moisture from coming farther north.

— scott dance, baltimoresun.com, "This is why it won't stop raining — and why this May could be one of Baltimore's wettest ever," 17 May 2018
Still, traffic has always been thin compared with areas farther north, in Canyonlands and Moab, or west, toward Lake Powell.

— abe streep, Outside Online, "The Tribes v. Donald Trump," 1 May 2018
And people in places even farther north, like Alaska, where the climate is changing faster than other regions, are now becoming increasingly vulnerable to allergies.

— umair irfan, Vox, "It’s not your imagination. Allergy season gets worse every year.," 28 Apr. 2018
The creatures, made up of individual zooids -- small, multicellular organisms -- normally reside in warmer waters, like the tropics, and usually don't travel farther north than the waters off southern California.

— ted sickinger, OregonLive.com, "Police looking for shooter after one injured in Keizer," 22 Apr. 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Martinez said the swelling number of vacation rental units has pushed some families into motels and forced low-income workers into farther commutes.

— julia sclafani, sacbee, "Tahoe voters to decide on measure to cut number of vacation rentals," 21 June 2018
And then those farther to the left jumped on him, and Fox News and those on the right put the boots to him, too.

— john kass, chicagotribune.com, "30-year-old slacker evicted from parents' basement could prove doubters wrong, lead the millennials," 26 May 2018
And because Thwaites and much of the rest of the ice sheet rest on bedrock that sits below sea level, any retreat of the grounding line lets water penetrate farther inland, melting more ice and further speeding glacier’s flow.

— andrea thompson, Scientific American, "Antarctic Quest Seeks to Predict the Fate of a Linchpin Glacier," 14 May 2018
The crop of acorns from the live oaks that grew on the narrow cheniers veining the coastal marsh and the water oaks and southern red oaks upland farther inland were gone.

— shannon tompkins, Houston Chronicle, "Late winter gives Texas hunters best shot at feral hogs," 24 Jan. 2018
An easterly component to the winds will still allow those residing close to Lake Michigan to experience temperatures in the 70s, while farther inland readings approach or exceed the 90-degree mark.

— tom skilling, chicagotribune.com, "Another warm day, but clouds on the increase," 28 May 2018
Another report, by the authority which administers the scheme, concluded that irrigation in the basin’s upper reaches was still depriving those farther downstream, like Mr McBride, of water.

— The Economist, "Australia’s biggest river is running dry, despite plans to save it," 19 May 2018
Three refineries in Corpus Christi and one farther inland at Three Rivers were shutting down ahead of the storm Supermarket shelves are also emptying fast as residents stock up on food, water and other essentials before Harvey strikes.

— kaila contreras, Houston Chronicle, "Kings Harbor stores begin to bounce back after Harvey," 16 May 2018
Moose, bears, coyotes and other animals share city trails, and that's especially true the farther one travels from downtown.

— yoshina okamoto, Anchorage Daily News, "Tackle Anchorage’s terrific city trail system," 3 May 2018