farther

play

adverb far·ther \ˈfär-thər\

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

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

Origin and Etymology of farther

Middle English ferther, alteration of further

NEW!

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

farther

adjective far·ther

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

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
The farther stars are away from Polaris in the sky, the larger and larger their circles will be around the North Star.

— mike lynch / sky watch, Twin Cities, "Sky Watch: Back to the basics … the whirling dippers and the North Star", 8 Apr. 2017
Those changes, in turn, are reducing the survival rates of the birds in their winter grounds farther south.

— National Geographic, "Arctic Warming Is Shrinking This Adorable Shorebird", 12 May 2016

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

see ¹farther

NEW!

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

FARTHER Defined for English Language Learners

farther

adjective

Definition of farther for English Language Learners

: more distant

FARTHER Defined for Kids

farther

play

adverb far·ther \ˈfär-thər\

Definition of farther for Students

1 : at or to a greater distance or more advanced point They drove farther north.
2 : more completely The class grew interested as she explained her idea farther.