afield

adverb or adjective

ə-ˈfēld 

1

: to, in, or on the field

was weak at bat but strong afield

2

: away from home : abroad

3

: out of the way : astray

irrelevant remarks that carried us far afield

Synonyms

• amiss
• astray
• awry
• wrong

Examples of afield in a Sentence

how did we get so far afield from the subject we intended to discuss?

Recent Examples on the Web

Further afield is the prospect of an India-EU FTA, although that process has dragged on for a decade. —Vasuki Shastry, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025

Jesse Whittock with you again to run through the second week headlines from the Croisette and further afield. —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 23 May 2025

Segal sees digital technologies, film tax credits and other soft money available internationally as providing a financial and creative boost to Hollywood producers to go further afield to shoot projects. —Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2025

Companies are having to venture further afield to find workers, which drives up costs in a time of intense international competition, and may hinder Vietnam’s future growth. —Damien Cave, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English afelde, going back to Old English on felda, on felde, from on on entry 1 + felda, felde, dative of feld field entry 1

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for afield

• airfield
• annealed
• appealed
• brownfield
• coalfield
• concealed
• congealed
• cornfield
• downfield
• goldfield
• hayfield
• infield

Kids Definition

afield

adverb

ə-ˈfēld 

1

: to, in, or on the field

2

: away from home

3

: out of a regular, planned, or proper course : astray