far
adverb
/fɑː(r)/
(farther, farthest or further, furthest)
distance
1 a long distance away
We didn't go far.
Have you come far?
It's not far to the beach.
There's not far to go now.
It's too far to walk.
+ adv./prep.
The restaurant is not far from here.
countries as far apart as Japan and Brazil
He looked down at the traffic far below.
Far away in the distance, a train whistled.
The farther north they went, the colder it became.
a concert of music from near and far
(figurative) Legends are usually far removed from the reality.
2 used when you are asking or talking about the distance between two places or the distance that has been travelled or is to be travelled
How far is it to your house from here?
How far is Boston from New York?
How much further is it?
I'm not sure I can walk so far.
as far as somebody/something
We'll go by train as far as London, and then take a bus.
We didn't go as far as the others.
time
3 a long time from the present; for a large part of a particular period of time
far back
The band had their first hit as far back as 2012.
To answer that question we need to go further back in time.
far ahead
Let's try to plan further ahead.
far into something
We worked far into the night.
The film takes place in a future not too far distant.
degree
4 very much; to a great degree
That's a far better idea.
The damage was far worse than I'd expected.
a drug that gives heart attack victims a far greater chance of survival
There are far more opportunities for young people than there used to be.
She always gives us far too much homework.
The results far exceeded my expectations.
The benefits far outweigh the cost.
The recent heat and continued drought further reduced yields.
far beyond (something)
It had been a success far beyond their expectations.
far behind (something)
He's fallen far behind in his work.
5 used when you are asking or talking about the degree to which something is true or possible
How far can we trust him?
as far as…
His parents supported him as far as they could.
Plan your route in advance, using main roads as far as possible.
progress
6 used to talk about how much progress has been made in doing or achieving something
How far have you got with that report?
Half an hour later Duncan was no farther in his quest.
as/so far as something
I read as far as the third chapter.
as/so far as doing something
We’ve got as far as collecting our data but we haven’t analysed it yet.
Idioms
to the horizon (= where the sky meets the land or sea)
The bleak moorland stretched on all sides as far as the eye could see.
used to give your personal opinion on something
As far as I am concerned, you can do what you like.
used to say that you think you know, remember, understand, etc. something but you cannot be completely sure, especially because you do not know all the facts
As far as we knew, there was no cause for concern.
As far as I can see, you've done nothing wrong.
She lived in Chicago, as far as I can remember.
(also as/so far as somebody/something goes) used to give facts or an opinion about a particular aspect of something
She's doing fine as far as French is concerned, it's her German I'm worried about.
to a limited degree, usually less than is enough
It's a good plan as far as it goes, but there are a lot of things they haven't thought of.
(used with comparative or superlative adjectives or adverbs) by a great amount
The last of these reasons is by far the most important.
Amy is the smartest by far.
to continue doing something beyond reasonable limits
far away from home; to or in places that are not near
You can hire a car if you want to explore further afield.
People commute to London from as far afield as France.
(followed by comparative or superlative adjectives) by a very great amount
She's far and away the best player.
over a large area
They searched far and wide for the missing child.
People came from far and wide for the show.
(informal) used when you are just about to disagree with somebody or to criticize them and you would like them to think that you do not really want to do this
Far be it from me to interfere in your affairs but I would like to give you just one piece of advice.
almost the opposite of something or of what is expected
It is far from clear (= it is not clear) what he intends to do.
Computers, far from destroying jobs, can create employment.
(informal) used to say that the opposite of what somebody says is true
‘You're not angry then?’ ‘Far from it. I've never laughed so much in my life.’
not happening often
(of people) to be very successful in the future
She is very talented and should go far.
(used in questions and negative sentences) to achieve all that is wanted
The new legislation is welcome but does not go far enough.
Do these measures go far enough?
(disapproving) Stop it now. The joke has gone far enough (= it has continued too long).
to be willing to go to extreme or surprising limits in dealing with something
I wouldn't go as far as to say that he's a liar (= but I think he may be slightly dishonest).
In June 2009 he went so far as to offer his resignation.
to behave in an extreme way that is not acceptable
He's always been quite crude, but this time he's gone too far.
I never thought she'd go this far.
to the degree that
That's the truth, in so far as I know it.
(informal) almost correct
Your guess wasn't far out at all.
They weren't far out with their estimate of 100 000.
You're not far wrong when you say he's the richest guy in town.
1 (of money) to not be enough to buy a lot of things
Five pounds doesn't go very far these days.
2 (of a supply of something) to not be enough for what is needed
Four bottles of wine won't go far among twenty people.
(also formal thus far) until now; up to this point
What do you think of the show so far?
Detectives are so far at a loss to explain the reason for his death.
(informal) only to a limited degree
I trust him only so far.
Word Origin
Old English feorr, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch ver, from an Indo-European root shared by Sanskrit para and Greek pera ‘further’.