far
at or to a great distance; a long way off; at or to a remote point: We sailed far ahead of the fleet.
at or to a remote or advanced time: We talked far into the night.
at or to a great, advanced, or definite point of progress, or degree: Having come this far, we might as well continue.
much or many: I need far more time.We gained far more advantages.
being at a great distance; remote in time or place: a far country;the far future.
extending to a great distance: the far frontiers of empire.
more distant of the two: the far side.
having or representing extreme political views or beliefs: parties on the far left;the rise of the far right.
Idioms about far
a far cry (from). cry (def. 27).
as far as. as1 (def. 18).
by far,
by a great deal; very much: too expensive by far.
plainly; obviously: This melon is by far the ripest of the lot.
far and away, by far; undoubtedly: She is far and away the smartest one in the class.
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.
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.
far out, Slang.
unconventional; offbeat: His sense of humor is far out.
recondite or esoteric: an interest in art that was considered far out.
few and far between. few (def. 5).
go far,
to attain success: With so much talent he should go far.
to have a great effect toward; help: The new evidence will go far toward proving the defendant's guilt.
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?
on the far side of. side1 (def. 26).
so far,
up to now: So far, I've had no reply to my request.
up to a certain point or extent: We were able to plan only so far because of various factors beyond our control.
so far so good, succeeding or managing adequately to this point; doing well thus far: The work is difficult, but so far so good.
the far side. side1 (def. 29).
thus far,
up to the present; up to now: We have met no resistance to our plan thus far.
to a particular degree, point, or extent: When you get thus far in the experiment, consult with the professor.
Origin of far
1usage note For far
Other words from far
- far·ness, noun
- o·ver·far, adverb, adjective
Words that may be confused with far
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for far
/ (fɑː) /
at, to, or from a great distance
at or to a remote time: far in the future
to a considerable degree; very much: a far better plan
as far as
to the degree or extent that
to the distance or place of
informal with reference to; as for
by far by a considerable margin
far and away by a very great margin
far and wide over great distances; everywhere
far be it from me I would not presume; on no account: far be it from me to tell you what to do
far gone
in an advanced state of deterioration
informal extremely drunk
go far
to be successful; achieve much: your son will go far
to be sufficient or last long: the wine didn't go far
go too far to exceed reasonable limits
how far? to what extent, distance, or degree?
in so far as to the degree or extent that
so far
up to the present moment
up to a certain point, extent, degree, etc
so far, so good an expression of satisfaction with progress made
remote in space or time: a far country; in the far past
extending a great distance; long
more distant: the far end of the room
a far cry
a long way
something very different
far from in a degree, state, etc, remote from: he is far from happy
Origin of far
1Derived forms of far
- farness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with far
In addition to the idioms beginning with far
- far afield
- far and away
- far and near
- far and wide
- far be it from one to
- far cry from, a
- far from
- far gone
- far out
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
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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