far

[ fahr ]

adverb

1. at or to a great distance; a long way off; at or to a remote point:

   We sailed far ahead of the fleet.

2. at or to a remote or advanced time:

   We talked far into the night.

3. at or to a great, advanced, or definite point of progress, or degree:

   Having come this far, we might as well continue.

4. much or many:

   I need far more time.

   We gained far more advantages.

adjective

, far·ther or fur·ther, far·thest or fur·thest.

1. being at a great distance; remote in time or place: the far future.

   a far country;

   the far future.

2. extending to a great distance:

   the far frontiers of empire.

3. more distant of the two:

   the far side.

4. having or representing extreme political views or beliefs:

   parties on the far left;

   the rise of the far right.

far

/ fɑː /

adverb

1. at, to, or from a great distance
2. at or to a remote time

   far in the future

3. to a considerable degree; very much

   a far better plan

4. as far as
   1. to the degree or extent that
   2. to the distance or place of
   3. with reference to; as for
5. by far
   by a considerable margin
6. far and away
   by a very great margin
7. far and wide
   over great distances; everywhere
8. far be it from me
   I would not presume; on no account

   far be it from me to tell you what to do

9. far gone
   1. in an advanced state of deterioration
   2. extremely drunk
10. go far
    1. to be successful; achieve much

       your son will go far

    2. to be sufficient or last long

       the wine didn't go far

11. go too far
    to exceed reasonable limits
12. how far?
    to what extent, distance, or degree?
13. in so far as
    to the degree or extent that
14. so far
    1. up to the present moment
    2. up to a certain point, extent, degree, etc
15. so far, so good
    an expression of satisfaction with progress made

adjective

1. remote in space or time

   in the far past

   a far country

2. extending a great distance; long
3. more distant

   the far end of the room

4. a far cry
   1. a long way
   2. something very different
5. far from
   in a degree, state, etc, remote from

   he is far from happy

Usage Note

See as ¹, farther.

Derived Forms

• ˈfarness, noun

Other Words From

• far·ness noun
• o·ver·far adverb adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of far¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English far, fer, Old English feorr; cognate with Old High German ferr, Old Norse fjar, Gothic fairra; akin to German fern “far,” Latin porrō “forward, further,” Greek prós(s)ō, pórsō, pórrō “forward, onward”

Word History and Origins

Origin of far¹

Old English feorr ; related to Old Frisian fīr , Old High German ferro , Latin porro forwards, Greek pera further

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. by far,
   1. by a great deal; very much:

      too expensive by far.

   2. plainly; obviously:

      This melon is by far the ripest of the lot.

2. far and away, by far; undoubtedly ( def ):

   She is far and away the smartest one in the class.

3. far and wide, to great lengths; over great distances: Also far and near, near and far.

   He traveled far and wide in search of his missing son.

4. far be it from me, I do not wish or dare (to interrupt, criticize, etc.):

   Far be it from me to complain, but it's getting stuffy in here.

5. far out, Slang.
   1. unconventional ( def ); offbeat:

      His sense of humor is far out.

   2. radical; extreme:

      political opinions that are far out.

   3. recondite or esoteric:

      an interest in art that was considered far out.

6. go far,
   1. to attain success:

      With so much talent he should go far.

   2. to have a great effect toward; help:

      The new evidence will go far toward proving the defendant's guilt.

7. how far, to what distance, extent, or degree: How far do you think they can be trusted?

   She didn't know how far they had gone in the mathematics text.

   How far do you think they can be trusted?

8. so far so good, succeeding or managing adequately to this point; doing well thus far:

   The work is difficult, but so far so good.

9. so far,
   1. up to now:

      So far, I've had no reply to my request.

   2. up to a certain point or extent:

      We were able to plan only so far because of various factors beyond our control.

10. thus far,
    1. up to the present; up to now:

       We have met no resistance to our plan thus far.

    2. to a particular degree, point, or extent:

       When you get thus far in the experiment, consult with the professor.

11. a far cry (from). cry ( def 27 ).
12. as far as. as ¹( def 18 ).
13. few and far between. few ( def 5 ).
14. on the far side of. side ¹( def 26 ).
15. the far side. side ¹( def 29 ).

More idioms and phrases containing far

• as far as
• as far as possible
• as far as that goes
• by far
• carry too far
• few and far between
• go far
• go so far as to
• go too far
• so far
• so far so good

Example Sentences

His lab created a promising material in 2015 that was further developed by Long's startup company, Mosaic Materials, which in 2022 was acquired by the energy technology company Baker Hughes.

From Science Daily

The behavior spread so far so quickly that scientists considered it unlikely that individual birds across a continent were inventing this trick on their own.

From Science Daily

Although the study found an association between the initial proportion of shape-based nouns in a child's vocabulary and later language development, the researchers said further investigation is needed to establish a causal link.

From Science Daily

Despite the study's large sample size, the authors say patients could benefit from further research from multiple countries on safety of these drugs as the landscape of options available to patients changes.

From Science Daily

The findings, published in the journal PLoS Pathogens, provide the basis for further scientific research and have potential application to population screening and diagnostic tests.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• deep
• distant
• long