far
/fɑː
/adverb (further, furthest or farther, farthest)
1 [often with adverbial] At, to, or by a great distance (used to indicate the extent to which one thing is distant from another): the house was not too far away the mountains far in the distance glowed in the sun...
- Mist fills the middle ground, and the background mountains appear to be far in the distance.
- Your thoughts can take a course of their own and connect two points or places far apart in both distance and time.
- The horizon is low, the masts and hulks of the ships making a series of horizontals and verticals receding far into the distance.
Synonyms
a long way, a great distance, a good way, afar
2Over a large expanse of space or time: he had not travelled far figurative that’s why we have come so far and done as well as we have...
- You did not always have to travel that far to see the wildlife.
- Do Italian women have to travel that far to find such garish outfits?
- Because its pollen is heavy and will not travel far, its seed will produce good results.
Synonyms
to a certain extent, to a limited extent, up to a point, to a degree, to some extent, within reason, within limits
3By a great deal: he is able to function far better than usual...
- While an improvement on the previous plan, it still falls far short of acceptable.
- This, frankly, falls far short of what the minister and the voters require.
- We had far more calls than usual and couldn't take them all to air, which is always a good sign.
adjective [attributive]
1Situated at a great distance in space or time: the far reaches of the universe...
- A pair of conical shapes away in the far distance had me confused before I realised they must be the Paps of Jura.
- Yet here in the far reaches of the European world, such conceptions of love are dragged back into the shadows.
- It was all about the people and their historic journey into the far reaches of space.
Synonyms
distant, faraway, far off;
remote, out of the way, far flung, far removed, outlying, obscure, isolated, cut-off, inaccessible, off the beaten track, in the back of beyond, godforsaken
1.1More distant than another object of the same kind: he was standing in the far corner...
- His low, hard shot to the far corner of the net gives Houlihan no chance.
- The midfielder, revelling in a more advanced role, chested the ball down and lashed it into the far corner of the net with his left foot.
- He took one touch and then tucked the ball neatly and unstoppably into the far corner.
1.2Distant from a point seen as central; extreme: the far north of Scotland the success of the far Right...
- The climate of the far north of Italy may be continental while that of central and southern Italy is Mediterranean.
- The silver must have been imported from the far north, Turkey, maybe even Central Asia.
- With good British perversity, Sutherland is of course in the far NORTH of Scotland.
Synonyms
further, more distant;
opposite
Phrases
as far as
be a far cry from
by far
far and away
far and near
far and wide
far be it from (or for) me to
far from
far from it
far gone
go far
go so far as to do something
go too far
how far
so far
(in) so far as (or that)
so far so good
a —— too far
Origin
Old English feorr, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch ver, from an Indo-European root shared by Sanskrit para and Greek pera 'further'.