Far has two comparatives, farther and further, and two superlatives, farthest and furthest. Farther and farthest are used mainly in sense [sense 1], and are dealt with here. Further and furthest are dealt with in separate entries.
1. adverb [ADVERB after verb, v-link ADV]
If one place, thing, or person is far away from another, there is a great distance between them.
I know a nice little Italian restaurant not far from here.
They came from as far away as Florida.
Both of my sisters moved even farther away from home.
They lay in the cliff top grass with the sea stretching out far below.
Is it far?
Synonyms: a long way, miles, deep, a good way More Synonyms of far
2. adverb
If you ask howfar a place is, you are asking what distance it is from you or from another place. Ifyou ask howfar someone went, you are asking what distance they travelled, or what place they reached.
How far is Pawtucket from Providence?
How far is it to Malcy?
How far can you throw?
You can only judge how high something is when you know how far away it is.
She followed the tracks as far as the road.
3. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
When there are two things of the same kind in a place, thefar one is the one that is a greater distance from you.
He had wandered to the far end of the room.
A narrow steep path leads down into a valley and up the far side.
Synonyms: opposite, farther, farthest, furthest More Synonyms of far
4. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
You can use far to refer to the part of an area or object that is the greatest distance from the centre in a particular direction. For example, thefar north of a country is the part of it that is the greatest distance to the north.
I've spent a lot of time walking around Britain from the far north of Scotland downto Cornwall.
I wrote the date at the far left of the blackboard.
5. adverb [ADVERB after verb, v-link ADV]
A time or event that is far away in the future or the past is a long time from the present or from a particular point in time.
...hidden conflicts whose roots lie far back in time.
I can't see any farther than the next six months.
The first day of term, which seemed so far away at the start of the summer holidays,is looming.
6. adverb [ADVERB with verb, usu howADV]
You can use far to talk about the extent or degree to which something happens or is true.
How far did the film tell the truth about the inventor?
But it is not clear how far they could help with the work on a power plant.
7. adverb [ADVERB with verb, oft howADV]
You can talk about how far someone or something gets to describe the progress that they make.
Discussions never progressed very far.
Think of how far we have come in a little time.
I don't think Mr Cavanagh would get far with that trick.
8. adverb [ADVERB with verb]
You can talk about how far a person or action goes to describe the degree to which someone's behaviour or actions are extreme.
It's still not clear how far the government will go to implement its own plans.
Competition can be healthy, but if it is pushed too far it can result in bullying.
This time he's gone too far.
9. graded adverb [ADVERB after verb]
You can use far in expressions like 'I wouldn't go that far' and 'I would go so far' to indicate to what extent you agree with something.
'Does it sound like music?'—'I wouldn't go that far.'.
10. adverb
You can use far to mean 'very much' when you are comparing two things and emphasizing the difference between them. For example, you can say that something is far better or far worse than something else to indicate that it is very much better or worse. You can also say that something is, for example, far too big to indicate that it is very much too big.
[emphasis]
Women who eat plenty of fresh vegetables are far less likely to suffer anxiety ordepression.
The police say the response has been far better than expected.
These trials are simply taking far too long.
It now has debts reported to be far in excess of one thousand million pounds.
11. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
You can describe people with extreme left-wing or right-wing political views as the far left or the far right.
Anti-racist campaigners are urging the Government to ban all far-Right groups.
12.
See as far as I know
13.
See far and away
14.
See by far
15.
See far from
16.
See far from it
17.
See far be it from me to do sth
18.
See as far as it goes
19.
See sb will go far
20.
See far gone
21.
See not far wrong
22.
See as far as I can see
23.
See so far
24.
See so far
25.
See so far so good
26.
See thus far
27.
See far and wide
28.
See sb will/can not go far wrong
29. as far as I am concerned
30. a far cry from
31. insofar as
32. near and far
More Synonyms of far
far in British English
(fɑː)
adverbWord forms: farther, further, farthest or furthest
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
5. by far
6. far and away
7. far and wide
8. far be it from me
9. far gone
10. go far
11. go too far
12. how far?
13. in so far as
14. so far
15. so far, so good
adjective(prenominal)
16.
remote in space or time
a far country
in the far past
17.
extending a great distance; long
18.
more distant
the far end of the room
19. a far cry
20. far from
Derived forms
farness (ˈfarness)
noun
Word origin
Old English feorr; related to Old Frisian fīr, Old High German ferro, Latin porro forwards, Greek pera further
far in American English
(fɑr)
adjectiveWord forms: ˈfarther or ˈfarthest
1.
distant in space or time; not near; remote
2.
extending a long way
a far journey
3.
more distant
the far side of the room
4.
very different in quality or nature
far from poor
adverbWord forms: ˈfarther or ˈfarthest
5.
very distant in space, time, or degree
6.
to or from a great distance in time or position
7.
very much; considerably
far better
8.
to a certain distance or degree
how far did you go?
noun
9.
a distant place
to come from far
Idioms:
as far as
by far
far and near
far and wide
far be it from me
far gone
far out
go far
in so far as
so far
so far as
so far, so good
SYNONYMY NOTE: far generally suggests that which is an indefinitely long way off in space, time, relation,etc. [far lands]; distant, although also suggesting a considerable interval of separation [a distant sound], is the term used when the measure of any interval is specified [desks four feet distant from one another]; remote is applied to that which is far off in space, time, connection, etc. from a place,thing, or person understood as a point of reference [a remote village]; removed, used predicatively, stresses separateness, distinctness, or lack of connection morestrongly than , remote
OPPOSITES: near, close
Word origin
ME farr, fer (> dial. form fur) < OE feorr, akin to OHG ferro < IE base *per-, forward, beyond > L per, Gr per
More idioms containing
far
a far cry from something
so near and yet so far
Examples of 'far' in a sentence
far
It is not sounding great so far.
The Sun (2016)
But we have so far shown typical good sense.
The Sun (2016)
Not a crisis yet but not far away from one.
The Sun (2016)
What have you learnt about marriage so far?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
We care far too much in fact.
The Sun (2016)
Our goal is to narrow consumption to specific places far away from public spaces.
The Sun (2016)
The characters are saying something far bigger.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The bookmaker's is at the far end of the row.
The Sun (2016)
But it maybe that we've gone too far in this country now.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
All of which is great as far as it goes but it needs a bigger payoff.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
As a result we have ended up with far too many laws and far too much complexity.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Australia is so far the only country to have made such a move.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The flash of the muzzle was far away.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
New survey evidence shows that we are becoming far less conscientious about cleaning our homes.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
His price tag puts pressure on me but he has done very little wrong so far.
The Sun (2011)
Your partnership is far better placed in the second auction.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It could mean something far more modest.
Carpenter, Anne & Johnson, Geoffrey Why am I Afraid to Grieve (1994)
We have come so far from difficult times.
The Sun (2011)
The one that qualifies can go very far.
The Sun (2014)
The condition can become worse farther north in the hemisphere as daylight grows increasingly short in winter.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The dining room on the far side of the hall has a typical corner fireplace.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
As a result she turned away far more firms than she took on.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
He is far more exercised about the acoustic technicalities of the big theatre.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
He sees the evil of the wrong far better than you see it.
Christianity Today (2000)
The room is divided into two by a broad arch with a step up at the far end.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Official figures showed we imported far more goods in July than we shipped overseas.
The Sun (2010)
The metallic look was a big hit on the night, far left.
The Sun (2012)
It's been a good experience so far.
The Sun (2013)
The emir's reinvented country is far from perfect.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
It's worked great so far.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
In other languages
far
British English: far /fɑː/ ADJECTIVE
You use far to refer to the part that is the greatest distance from the centre.
...at the far left of the blackboard.
American English: far
Arabic: بَعِيد
Brazilian Portuguese: distante
Chinese: 遥远的
Croatian: dalek
Czech: daleký
Danish: fjern
Dutch: ver
European Spanish: lejano
Finnish: kaukainen
French: loin
German: weiter entfernt
Greek: μακρινός
Italian: lontano
Japanese: 遠い
Korean: 먼
Norwegian: fjern
Polish: daleki
European Portuguese: distante
Romanian: îndepărtat
Russian: далекий
Latin American Spanish: lejano
Swedish: avlägsen
Thai: ห่างไกล
Turkish: uzak
Ukrainian: далекий
Vietnamese: xa
British English: far /fɑː/ ADVERB
If something is far away, it is a long way away.
His house was far away.
American English: far
Arabic: بَعِيد
Brazilian Portuguese: longe
Chinese: 很远
Croatian: daleko
Czech: daleko
Danish: langt væk
Dutch: ver
European Spanish: lejos
Finnish: kaukana
French: loin
German: weit Entfernung
Greek: μακριά
Italian: lontano
Japanese: 遠くに
Korean: 멀리
Norwegian: langt
Polish: daleko
European Portuguese: longe
Romanian: departe
Russian: далеко
Latin American Spanish: lejos
Swedish: långt borta
Thai: ไกล
Turkish: uzakta
Ukrainian: далеко
Vietnamese: xa
All related terms of 'far'
by far
You use the expression by far when you are comparing something or someone with others of the same kind , in order to emphasize how great the difference is between them. For example , you can say that something is by far the best or the best by far to indicate that it is definitely the best.
go far
to be successful ; achieve much
so far
If you say that something only goes so far or can only go so far , you mean that its extent, effect , or influence is limited .
far-off
If you describe a moment in time as far off , you mean that it is a long time from the present , either in the past or the future .
far-out
If you describe something as far out , you mean that it is very strange or extreme .
how far?
to what extent , distance, or degree?
Far East
The Far East is used to refer to all the countries of Eastern Asia , including China , Japan , North and South Korea , and Indochina .
far-field
denoting the part of an electromagnetic field that is farthest from the source
far-flung
Far-flung places are a very long distance away from where you are or from important places.
far from
If you say that something is far from a particular thing or far from being the case , you are emphasizing that it is not that particular thing or not at all the case, especially when people expect or assume that it is.
far gone
Someone or something that is far gone is in such a bad state or condition that not much can be done to help or improve them.
far left
of or relating to the extreme left wing
Far North
→ the Far North
far point
the farthest point at which vision is distinct when the lens , muscles, etc. of the eye are relaxed
far right
of or relating to the extreme right wing
Far West
→ the Far West
thus far
Thus far means up until the present point in a situation or story .
a far cry
a long way
as far as
to the degree or extent that
far afield
If someone comes from far afield , they come from a long way away .
far distant
at, to, or from a great distance in space or time
Far Eastern
of or relating to the Far East (E Asia ) or its inhabitants
far-fetched
If you describe a story or idea as far-fetched , you are criticizing it because you think it is unlikely to be true or practical .
far-seeing
having shrewd judgment; far-sighted
far-sighted
If you describe someone as far-sighted , you admire them because they understand what is likely to happen in the future , and therefore make wise decisions and plans.
so far as
to the extent or point that
far-reaching
If you describe actions, events, or changes as far-reaching , you mean that they have a very great influence and affect a great number of things.
go too far
to exceed reasonable limits
far and away
You use the expression far and away when you are comparing something or someone with others of the same kind , in order to emphasize how great the difference is between them. For example , you can say that something is far and away the best to indicate that it is definitely the best.
far and near
everywhere
far and wide
If people come from far and wide , they come from a large number of places, some of them far away . If things spread far and wide , they spread over a very large area or distance.
far from it
You can use the expression ' far from it ' to emphasize a negative statement that you have just made.
near and far
You use near and far to indicate that you are referring to a very large area or distance .
the Far East
the countries of E Asia, usually including China , Japan , North and South Korea , Indonesia , Malaysia , and the Philippines : sometimes extended to include all territories east of Afghanistan
the far left
the more extreme supporters or advocates of social, political, or economic change, reform , or revolution designed to promote the greater freedom , power, welfare , or comfort of ordinary people
the Far West
the area of the United States west of the Great Plains
in so far as
to the degree or extent that
the Far North
the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of the world
the far right
the more extreme supporters or advocates of social, political, or economic conservatism or reaction , based generally on a belief that things are better left unchanged
faraway
A faraway place is a long distance from you or from a particular place.
a far cry from
Something that is a far cry from something else is very different from it.
dolce far niente
pleasant idleness
far-flung location
A location is the place where something happens or is situated.
so far, so good
You can say so far so good to express satisfaction with the way that a situation or activity is progressing, developing , or happening .
sb will go far
If you say that someone will go far , you mean that they will be very successful in their career .
as far as I know
You can use far in expressions like ' as far as I know ' and ' so far as I remember ' to indicate that you are not absolutely sure of the statement you are about to make or have just made, and you may be wrong .
far-flung destination
The destination of someone or something is the place to which they are going or being sent.
as far as it goes
If you say that something is good as far as it goes or true so far as it goes , you mean that it is good or true only to a limited extent .
far be it from me
I would not presume ; on no account
few and far between
Things that are few and far between are very rare or do not happen very often.
Chinese translation of 'far'
far
(fɑːʳ)
adj
(= distant) 远(遠)的 (yuǎn de)
⇒ Yes, it's quite far.是的，是挺远。 (Shì de, shì tǐng yuǎn.)
(= extreme)
the far end/side尽(盡)头(頭)的 (jìntóu de)
adv
(= a long way) (in space) 远(遠) (yuǎn)
⇒ He didn't hit the ball very far.他没把球打得很远。 (Tā méi bǎ qiú dǎ de hěn yuǎn.)
(in time) 久远(遠)地 (jiǔyuǎn de)
⇒ if we look far into the future如果我们展望久远的未来 (rúguǒ wǒmen zhǎnwàng jiǔyuǎn de wèilái)
(= much, greatly) ... 得多 ( ... de duō)
⇒ His new house is far bigger.他的新房子要大得多。 (Tā de xīn fángzi yào dà de duō.)
as far as ... 一直到 ... (yīzhí dào ... )
⇒ Go as far as the church.一直走到教堂。 (yīzhí zǒudào jiàotáng.)
as far as possible尽(盡)可能 (jìn kěnéng)
as far as I know据(據)我所知 (jù wǒ suǒ zhī)
by far ... 得多 ( ... de duō)
⇒ She was by far the best swimmer.她显然是最好的游泳者。 (Tā xiǎnrán shì zuì hǎo de yóuyǒngzhě.)
so far迄今为(為)止 (qìjīn wéizhǐ)
far from一点(點)也不 (yīdiǎn yě bù)
⇒ His hands were far from clean.他的手一点也不干净。 (Tā de shǒu yīdiǎn yě bù gānjìng.)
⇒ Far from speeding up, the tank came to a halt.坦克不但没有加速，反而停了下来。 (Tǎnkè bùdàn méiyǒu jiāsù, fǎn'ér tíngle xiàlái.)
is it far to London?离(離)伦(倫)敦远(遠)吗(嗎)？ (lí Lúndūn yuǎn ma?)
it's not far from here离(離)这(這)里(裡)不远(遠) (lí zhèlǐ bù yuǎn)
how far? (in distance) 多远(遠)？ (duō yuǎn?)
⇒ How far is the Great Wall from here?长城离这里有多远？ (Chángchéng lí zhèlǐ yǒu duō yuǎn?)
(in degree) 到什么(麼)程度 (dào shénme chéngdù)
⇒ How far can he be trusted?他的可信度有多少？ (Tā de kěxìndù yǒu duōshao?)
(in progress) 进(進)展如何 (jìnzhǎn rúhé)
⇒ How far have you got with the work?你工作进展如何？ (Nǐ gōngzuò jìnzhǎn rúhé?)
far away遥(遙)远(遠) (yáoyuǎn)
⇒ He sat as far away from the others as possible.他坐在尽可能远离他人的地方。 (Tā zuòzài jìn kěnéng yuǎnlí tārén de dìfang.)
far off (in time) 遥(遙)远(遠) (yáoyuǎn)
far better好得多 (hǎo de duō)
at the far end (of) (of table) 在( ... 的)另一边(邊) (zài ( ... de) lìng yībiān) (of room, theatre) 在( ... 的)那一边(邊) (zài ( ... de) nà yībiān) (of field) 在( ... 的)对(對)面 (zài ( ... de) duìmiàn)
at the far side (of)在( ... 的)那一边(邊) (zài ( ... de) nà yībiān)
as far back as the 13th century早在13世纪(紀) (zǎo zài shísān shìjì)
to go too far (fig) 做得过(過)分 (zuò de guòfèn)
he went so far as to resign他甚至辞(辭)职(職)了 (tā shènzhì cízhí le)
far and away无(無)疑 (wúyí)
⇒ This is far and away the most important point.这无疑是最重要的一点。 (Zhè wúyí shì zuì zhòngyào de yīdiǎn.)
from far and wide从(從)四面八方 (cóng sìmiàn bāfāng)
far from it远(遠)非如此 (yuǎn fēi rúcǐ)
far be it from me to criticize我并(並)不想指责(責)谁(誰) (wǒ bìng bù xiǎng zhǐzé shuí)
the far left/right (Pol) 极(極)左/右 (jízuǒ/yòu)
All related terms of 'far'
by far
... 得多 ... de duō ⇒ She was by far the best swimmer. → 她显然是最好的游泳者。 Tā xiǎnrán shì zuì hǎo de yóuyǒngzhě.
far off
( in time ) 遥(遙)远(遠) yáoyuǎn
so far
( up to now ) 迄今为(為)止 qìjīn wéizhǐ
far away
遥(遙)远(遠) yáoyuǎn ⇒ He sat as far away from the others as possible. → 他坐在尽可能远离他人的地方。 Tā zuòzài jìn kěnéng yuǎnlí tārén de dìfang.
Far East
▶ the Far East 远(遠)东(東) Yuǎndōng
far from
一点(點)也不 yīdiǎn yě bù ⇒ His hands were far from clean. → 他的手一点也不干净。 Tā de shǒu yīdiǎn yě bù gānjìng.
how far?
( in distance ) 多远(遠)？ duō yuǎn? ⇒ How far is the Great Wall from here? → 长城离这里有多远？ Chángchéng lí zhèlǐ yǒu duō yuǎn?
far better
好得多 hǎo de duō
far-sighted
远(遠)视(視)的 yuǎnshì de [ 英 = long-sighted ]
far from it
远(遠)非如此 yuǎn fēi rúcǐ
far-reaching
( reforms, effects, implications ) 意义(義)深远(遠)的 yìyì shēnyuǎn de
as far as ...
一直到 ... yīzhí dào ... ⇒ Go as far as the church. → 一直走到教堂。 yīzhí zǒudào jiàotáng.
far and away
无(無)疑 wúyí ⇒ This is far and away the most important point. → 这无疑是最重要的一点。 Zhè wúyí shì zuì zhòngyào de yīdiǎn.