far

 
Pronunciation: /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
  • 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
  • 3by a great deal: he is able to function far better than usual

adjective

[attributive]
  • situated at a great distance in space or time: the far reaches of the universe
  • more distant than another object of the same kind: he was standing in the far corner
  • distant from a point seen as central; extreme: the far north of Scotland the success of the far Right

Phrases

as far as

for as great a distance as: the river stretched away as far as he could see
for a great enough distance to reach: I decided to walk as far as the village
to the extent that: as far as I am concerned it is no big deal

be a far cry from

be very different to: he is a far cry from the telegenic legislators who increasingly prowl Capitol Hill

by far

by a great amount: this was by far the largest city in the area

far and away

by a very large amount: he is far and away the most accomplished player

far and near

everywhere: people came from far and near to the party

far and wide

over a large area: expanding industry sucked in labour from far and wide

far be it from (or for) me to

used to express reluctance to do something which one thinks may be resented: far be it from me to speculate on his reasons

far from

tending to the opposite of what is expected: conditions were far from satisfactory

far gone

  • 1in a bad or worsening state: a few frames from the original film were too far gone to salvage
  • informal very intoxicated or ill: everyone was far gone by now
  • 2advanced in time: when he awoke the day was far gone

far off

remote in time or space: a far-off country shared memories of those far-off days

go far

  • 1achieve a great deal: everyone was sure he would go far
  • 2be worth or amount to much: the money would not go far at this year’s prices

go so far as to do something

do something regarded as extreme: surely they wouldn’t go so far as to break in?

go too far

exceed the limits of what is reasonable or acceptable: she’s been causing trouble—one of these days she’ll go too far

how far

  • 1used to ask how great a distance is: they wanted to know how far he could travel
  • 2to what extent: he was not sure how far she was committed

so far

  • 1to a certain limited extent: jabs and pills can protect you only so far
  • 2(of a trend that seems likely to continue) up to this time: diplomatic activity so far has failed

(in) so far as (or that)

to the extent that: the play was a great success so far as attendance was concerned

so far so good

progress has been satisfactory up to now: ‘How’s the job going?’ ‘So far so good.’

a —— too far

a —— regarded as being one step or stage beyond what is safe, sensible, or desirable: the statement appears to be a claim 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'

In some contexts further and farther are completely interchangeable: she moved further/farther down the train. The two words share the same roots and are equally correct when the meaning is ‘at, to, or by a greater distance’. Further is a much commoner word, though, and is used in various abstract and metaphorical contexts, for example referring to time, where it would be unusual to use farther, e.g. without further delay; have you anything further to say?; we intend to stay a further two weeks. The same distinction is made between farthest and furthest: the farthest point from the sun, but: this first team has gone furthest in its analysis.