far

1 of 3

adverb

farther ˈfär-t͟hər How to pronounce far (audio) or further ˈfər-t͟hər How to pronounce far (audio) ; farthest or furthest ˈfər-t͟həst How to pronounce far (audio)
1
: at or to a considerable distance in space
wandered far from home
2
a
: to a great extent : much
far better methods
b
: by a broad interval : widely
the far distant future
3
: to or at a definite distance, point, or degree
as far as I know
4
: to an advanced point or extent
a bright student will go far
worked far into the night
5
: at a considerable distance in time
not far from the year 1870

far

2 of 3

adjective

farther or further; farthest or furthest
1
a
: remote in space
b
: distinctly different in quality or relationship
c
: remote in time
2
a
: long
a far journey
b
: of notable extent : comprehensive
a man of far vision
3
: the more distant of two
the far end
4
: extreme
the far left
a far right political organization

FAR

3 of 3

abbreviation

federal air regulation
Phrases
by far
: far and away
is by far the best runner
far be it from
: it would be inappropriate or impossible for
far be it from me to complain
far from
: of a distinctly different and especially opposite quality than
the trip was far from a failure
how far
: to what extent, degree, or distance
didn't know how far to trust them
so far
1
: to a certain extent, degree, or distance
when the water rose so far, we fled
2
: up to the present
has written one novel so far
thus far
: so far
thus far the results are negative

Examples of far in a Sentence

Adverb The dog wandered far from home. These new discoveries will allow us to see far into the past. She lives far out in the country. The house is set far back from the road. The deadline is not far off. regions far to the north a town not far from Chicago He still lives not far from where he was born. The car is far too expensive. His policies are far different from those of his predecessor. Adjective the far corners of the world the far reaches of outer space
Recent Examples on the Web
Adverb
Nike shares rose nearly 2% this past week, but are down more than 11% so far this year and have fallen more than 23% over 12 months. Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 20 Apr. 2024 Assistant Public Defender Ken Morrison has argued that Woodward, who is on the Autism spectrum, was far more conflicted about his sexuality. Sean Emery, Orange County Register, 20 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for far 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'far.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

Middle English fer, from Old English feorr; akin to Old High German ferro far, Old English faran to go — more at fare

First Known Use

Adverb

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

Adjective

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of far was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near far

Cite this Entry

“Far.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/far. Accessed 4 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

far

1 of 2 adverb
farther -t͟hər How to pronounce far (audio) or further ˈfər- How to pronounce far (audio) ; farthest or furthest -t͟həst How to pronounce far (audio)
1
: at or to a great distance in space or time
far from home
2
: to a great extent : much
far better
3
: to or at a definite distance, point, or degree
as far as I know
4
: to an advanced point or extent : a long way
a smart student can go far

far

2 of 2 adjective
farther or further; farthest or furthest
1
: very distant in space or time
2
: long entry 1 sense 3
a far journey
3
: the more distant of two
the far side of the lake

More from Merriam-Webster on far

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