far

UK: /ˈfɑː^r/ US: /fɑr/ ,(fär)

Inflections of 'far' (adj):

farther

adj comparative

further

adj comparative

farthest

adj superlative

furthest

adj superlative

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

far /fɑr/   adv., adj., far•ther or fur•ther, far•thest or fur•thest. 
adv. 

1. at or to a great distance or remote point;
   a long way off:
   How far is it from here?
2. at or to a remote or advanced time;
   for a long time:
   They stayed up talking far into the night.
3. at or to a great, advanced, or definite point or degree of progress:
   You may have gone too far.
4. much or many:
   I need far more time.

adj. 

5. being at a great distance;
   remote in time or place:
   the far future.
6. more distant of the two:
   [before a noun] The window is in the far corner.

Idioms

7. Idioms a far cry:
   • quite some distance;
     removed:
     a far cry from civilization.
   • very different;
     in sharp contrast:
     This tiny apartment is a far cry from what she is accustomed to.
8. Idioms by far:
   • by a great deal;
     very much:
     That minivan is too expensive by far.
   • plainly;
     obviously:
     This melon is by far the ripest of all.
9. Idioms far and away, without doubt;
   to a large extent:
   This was far and away the best house we could find.
10. Idioms far and wide, to great lengths;
    over great distances:
    The boy searched far and wide for his dog.
11. Idioms far be it from me, I do not wish or dare (to interrupt, criticize, etc.):
    Far be it from me to complain.
12. Idioms go far, [no obj] to achieve a great deal:
    She's a promising worker; I'm sure she'll go far.
13. Idioms how far, to what distance, extent, or degree:
    How far can we go with this plan?
14. Idioms so far:
    • up to now:
      So far the budget cuts haven't hit us too badly.
    • up to a certain point or extent:
      The road was built only so far before they ran out of money.
15. Idioms the far side, the farther or opposite side:
    the far side of the moon.
16. Idioms thus far, so far:
    Thus far we've been spared any crises.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

far  (fär), adv., adj., far•ther or fur•ther, far•thest or fur•thest. 
adv. 

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.
5. Idioms as far as. See as¹ (def. 16).
6. Idioms by far:
   • by a great deal;
     very much:
     too expensive by far.
   • plainly;
     obviously:
     This melon is by far the ripest of the lot.
7. Idioms far and away, by far;
   undoubtedly:
   She is far and away the smartest one in the class.
8. Idioms 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. 
9. Idioms 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.
10. Idioms, Slang Terms far out, [Slang.]
    • unconventional;
      offbeat:
      His sense of humor is far out.
    • radical;
      extreme:
      political opinions that are far out.
    • recondite or esoteric:
      an interest in art that was considered far out.
11. Idioms 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.
12. Idioms 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?
13. Idioms 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.
14. Idioms so far so good, succeeding or managing adequately to this point;
    doing well thus far:
    The work is difficult, but so far so good.
15. Idioms 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.

adj. 

16. being at a great distance;
    remote in time or place:
    a far country; the far future.
17. extending to a great distance:
    the far frontiers of empire.
18. more distant of the two:
    the far side.
19. Idioms a far cry from. See cry (def. 30).
20. Idioms few and far between. See few (def. 2).
21. Idioms on the far side of. See side (def. 21).
22. Idioms the far side. See side (def. 24).

• bef. 900; Middle English far, fer, Old English feorr; cognate with Old High German ferr, Old Norse fjar, Gothic fairra; akin to German fern far, Latin porrō forward, further

far′ness, n. 
Usage

See as, farther. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

far / fɑː/ adverb (farther, further, farthest, 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 ⇒ to the degree or extent that
5. to the distance or place of
6. with reference to; as for
7. by far ⇒ by a considerable margin
8. far and away ⇒ by a very great margin
9. far and wide ⇒ over great distances; everywhere
10. far be it from me ⇒ I would not presume; on no account: far be it from me to tell you what to do
11. go far ⇒ to be successful; achieve much: your son will go far
12. to be sufficient or last long: the wine didn't go far
13. go too far ⇒ to exceed reasonable limits
14. so far ⇒ up to the present moment
15. up to a certain point, extent, degree, etc

adjective (prenominal)

1. remote in space or time: a far country, in the far past
2. extending a great distance; long
3. more distant: the far end of the room
4. far from ⇒ in a degree, state, etc, remote from: we are far from finished

Etymology: Old English feorr; related to Old Frisian fīr, Old High German ferro, Latin porro forwards, Greek pera further

ˈfarness noun

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

far•ther /ˈfɑrðɚ/   adv., [comparative of]   far with farthest as superlative.

1. at or to a greater distance:
   farther down the road.
2. at or to a more advanced point:
   to go no farther in one's education.
at or to a greater degree or extent.

adj., [compar. of far with farthest as superl.]

3. more distant or remote:
   the farther side of the mountain.

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

far•thest /ˈfɑrðɪst/   adj., [superlative of]   far with farther as comparative.

1. most distant or remote:
   Who came the farthest?
2. most extended;
   longest.

adv., [superl. of far with farther as compar.]

3. at or to the greatest distance or most advanced point:
   This is the farthest I've been from home.
4. at or to the greatest degree or extent:
   That is the farthest they have ever pushed my patience.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

far•ther  (fär′ᵺər), adv., [compar. of] far with farthest  as superl.

1. at or to a greater distance:
   He went farther down the road.
2. at or to a more advanced point:
   They are going no farther in their studies.
3. at or to a greater degree or extent:
   The application of the law was extended farther.

adj., compar. of far with farthest as superl. 

4. more distant or remote than something or some place nearer:
   the farther side of the mountain.
5. extending or tending to a greater distance:
   He made a still farther trip.
6. [Nonstandard.] further (defs. 5, 6).

• 1300–50; Middle English ferther; origin, originally variant of further

Usage

Although some usage guides insist that only farther should be used for physical distance (We walked farther than we planned), farther and further have been used interchangeably throughout much of their histories. However, only further is used in the adverbial sense "moreover'' (Further, you hurt my feelings) and in the adjectival senses "more extended'' (no further comment) and "additional'' (Further bulletins came in).
The expression all the farther (or further) in place of as far as occurs chiefly in informal speech:
This is all the farther the train goes.
See also all. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

far•thest  (fär′ᵺist), adj., [superl. of] far with farther  as compar.

1. most distant or remote.
2. most extended;
   longest.

adv., superl. of far with farther as compar. 

3. at or to the greatest distance.
4. at or to the most advanced point.
5. at or to the greatest degree or extent.

• 1350–1400; Middle English ferthest; origin, originally variant of furthest