fare

1 of 2

verb

fared; faring

intransitive verb

1
: get along, succeed
how did you fare on your exam?
2
: go, travel
3
: eat, dine

fare

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: the price charged to transport a person
b
: a paying passenger on a public conveyance
2
a
: range of food : diet
b
: material provided for use, consumption, or enjoyment

Examples of fare in a Sentence

Verb The Mystery Maid, a halibut and black cod schooner, had fared badly of late and was in the process of being overhauled. David Guterson, Snow Falling On Cedars, 1994
… genuinely new creations do not usually fare well with mainstream publishers in any age. Erica Jong, New York Times Book Review, 5 June 1988
Back upstairs, I put on a gold lamé dress and fared forth to the first big dinner of 1968 … Lady Bird Johnson 25 Jan. 1968, in A White House Diary1970
residents of the flood-ravaged town are faring much better than one might have expected families can be seen faring along the road to the campground while driving or towing all manner of conveyance Noun Bush and Siberry's sixth albums find them trying harder than before to reach an audience less willing to indulge their wanderings—both albums communicate more directly, and sound more familiar, than their usual fairy-tale fare. Ann Powers, Village Voice, 7 Dec. 1993
Who would ever consider robbing this place for more than getaway bus fare? Amy Tan, The Kitchen God's Wife, 1991
As for Ronald Reagan, solid heartland fare like macaroni and cheese and hamburger soup is his favorite … Guy D. Garcia, Time, 14 Mar. 1988
I need some coins for the bus fare. The taxi driver picked up his fares at the airport. Less expensive fare is available at the restaurant across the street.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
The meat-heavy paleo and keto diets fared the worst. Anna Bader, Glamour, 20 Mar. 2025 Here’s the specific Cleveland-Cliffs stock data that concerns us CLF stock has fared much worse than the benchmark S&P 500 index during several recent downturns. Trefis Team, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
Noun
Drinks are pretty standard fare: bottles and classic cocktails like margaritas and martinis. Sunny Hubler, Charlotte Observer, 21 Mar. 2025 Chairman Kirk Dillard has called for a stronger RTA that would coordinate fares, service and construction projects among city and suburban bus and train agencies. Sarah Freishtat, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fare

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English faren, from Old English faran; akin to Old High German faran to go, Latin portare to carry, Greek peran to pass through, poros passage, journey

Noun

Middle English, journey, passage, supply of food, from Old English faru, fær; akin to Old English faran to go

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fare. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

fare

1 of 2 verb
ˈfa(ə)r How to pronounce fare (audio)
ˈfe(ə)r
fared; faring
1
2
: to proceed toward a goal : succeed
fared well on the test
3

fare

2 of 2 noun
1
: food sense 1
a café serving light fare
2
a
: the money a person pays to travel by public transportation (as a bus)
b
: a person paying a fare : passenger

More from Merriam-Webster on fare

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