far definition | Dictionary.com

far

[fahr]

adverb, adjective, far⋅ther or fur⋅ther, far⋅thest or fur⋅thest.

–adverb

1.	at or to a great distance; a long way off; at or to a remote point: We sailed far ahead of the fleet.

2.	at or to a remote or advanced time: We talked far into the night.

3.	at or to a great, advanced, or definite point of progress, or degree: Having come this far, we might as well continue.

4.	much or many: I need far more time. We gained far more advantages.

–adjective

5.	being at a great distance; remote in time or place: a far country; the far future.

6.	extending to a great distance: the far frontiers of empire.

7.	more distant of the two: the far side.

—Idioms

8.	a far cry from. cry (def. 30).

9.	as far as. as ¹ (def. 20).

10.

by far,

a.	by a great deal; very much: too expensive by far.

b.	plainly; obviously: This melon is by far the ripest of the lot.

11.	far and away, by far; undoubtedly: She is far and away the smartest one in the class.

12.	far and wide, to great lengths; over great distances: He traveled far and wide in search of his missing son. Also, far and near, near and far.

13.	far be it from me, I do not wish or dare (to interrupt, criticize, etc.): Far be it from me to complain, but it's getting stuffy in here.

14.

far out, Slang.

a.	unconventional; offbeat: His sense of humor is far out.

b.	radical; extreme: political opinions that are far out.

c.	recondite or esoteric: an interest in art that was considered far out.

15.	few and far between. few (def. 5).

16.

go far,

a.	to attain success: With so much talent he should go far.

b.	to have a great effect toward; help: The new evidence will go far toward proving the defendant's guilt.

17.	how far, to what distance, extent, or degree: She didn't know how far they had gone in the mathematics text. How far do you think they can be trusted?

18.	on the far side of. side (def. 21).

19.

so far,

a.	up to now: So far, I've had no reply to my request.

b.	up to a certain point or extent: We were able to plan only so far because of various factors beyond our control.

20.	so far so good, succeeding or managing adequately to this point; doing well thus far: The work is difficult, but so far so good.

21.	the far side. side (def. 24).

22.

thus far,

a.	up to the present; up to now: We have met no resistance to our plan thus far.

b.	to a particular degree, point, or extent: When you get thus far in the experiment, consult with the professor.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME far, fer, OE feorr; c. OHG ferr, ON fjar, Goth fairra; akin to G fern far, L porrō forward, further

Related forms:

farness, noun

Usage note:
See as, farther.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To far

far (fär)

adv. far·ther (fär'thər) or fur·ther (fûr'thər), far·thest (fär'thĭst) or fur·thest (fûr'thĭst)

To, from, or at considerable distance: a cat that had strayed far from home.
To or at a specific distance, degree, or position: Just how far are you taking this argument?
To a considerable degree; much: felt far better yesterday; eyes that seemed far too close together.
Not at all; anything but: seems far from content; a test of strength that was far from a failure.
To an advanced point or stage: a brilliant student who will go far.

adj. farther or further, farthest or furthest

1. Being at considerable distance; remote: a far country.
2. Going back a considerable extent in time: the far past.
More distant than another: the far corner.
Extensive or lengthy: a far trek.
Far-seeing and comprehensive in thought or outlook: a commander of far vision.
Marked by political views of the most advanced or extreme nature: the far right; the far left.
Being on the right side of an animal or a vehicle.
Being the animal or vehicle on the right.

[Middle English, from Old English feor; see per¹ in Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Far

Far\, n. [See Farrow.] (Zo["o]l.) A young pig, or a litter of pigs.

Far

Far\, a. [Fartherand Farthestare used as the compar. and superl. of far, although they are corruptions arising from confusion with further and furthest. See Further.] [OE. fer, feor, AS. feor; akin to OS. fer, D. ver, OHG. ferro, adv., G. fern, a., Icel. fjarri, Dan. fjirn, Sw. fjerran, adv., Goth. fa[=i]rra, adv., Gr. ????? beyond, Skr. paras, adv., far, and prob. to L. per through, and E. prefix for-, as in forgive, and also to fare. Cf. Farther, Farthest.]

1. Distant in any direction; not near; remote; mutually separated by a wide space or extent.

They said, . . . We be come from a far country. --Josh. ix. 6.

The nations far and near contend in choice. --Dryden.

2. Remote from purpose; contrary to design or wishes; as, far be it from me to justify cruelty.

3. Remote in affection or obedience; at a distance, morally or spiritually; t enmity with; alienated.

They that are far from thee ahsll perish. --Ps. lxxiii. 27.

4. Widely different in nature or quality; opposite in character.

He was far from ill looking, though he thought himself still farther. --F. Anstey.

5. The more distant of two; as, the far side (called also off side) of a horse, that is, the right side, or the one opposite to the rider when he mounts.

Note: The distinction between the adjectival and adverbial use of far is sometimes not easily discriminated.

By far, by much; by a great difference.

Far between, with a long distance (of space or time) between; at long intervals. "The examinations are few and far between." --Farrar.

Far

Far\, adv. 1. To a great extent or distance of space; widely; as, we are separated far from each other.

2. To a great distance in time from any point; remotely; as, he pushed his researches far into antiquity.

3. In great part; as, the day is far spent.

4. In a great proportion; by many degrees; very much; deeply; greatly.

Who can find a virtuous woman ? for her price is far above rubies. --Prov. xxxi. 10.

As far as, to the extent, or degree, that. See As far as, under As.

Far off. (a) At a great distance, absolutely or relatively. (b) Distant in sympathy or affection; alienated. "But now, in Christ Jesus, ye who some time were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ." --Eph. ii. 13.

Far other, different by a great degree; not the same; quite unlike. --Pope.

Far and near, at a distance and close by; throughout a whole region.

Far and wide, distantly and broadly; comprehensively. "Far and wide his eye commands." --Milton.

From far, from a great distance; from a remote place.

Note: Far often occurs in self-explaining compounds, such as far-extended, far-reaching, far-spread.

Language Translation for : far

Spanish: lejos,

German: weit,

Japanese: 離れて

More Translations »

far

O.E. feorr "to a great distance, long ago," from P.Gmc. *ferro (cf. O.N. fjarre, Du. ver, Ger. fern), from PIE *per- "through, across, beyond" (cf. Skt. parah "farther, remote, ulterior," Hitt. para "outside of," Gk. pera "across, beyond," L. per "through," O.Ir. ire "farther"). In figurative sense, far-fetched is from 1607; far-sighted is 1641 in figurative sense, 1878 in literal sense (hypermetropic). Far-out began 1954 as jazz slang. Far East "China, Japan, and surrounding regions" is from 1852.

far

In addition to the idioms beginning with far, also see as far as; as far as possible; as far as that goes; by far; carry too far; few and far between; go far; go so far as to; go too far; so far; so far so good.

FAR
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