far (fär)adv. far·ther (fär?th?r), far·thest (fär?th?st) or fur·ther (fûr?th?r) or fur·thest (fûr?th?st) 1. To, from, or at a considerable distance: a cat that had strayed far from home.2. To, from, or at a much earlier or later time: a movie that takes place far in the future.3. To a considerable degree; much: felt far better yesterday; eyes that seemed far too close together.4. To an advanced point or stage: a brilliant student who will go far.adj. farther, farthest or further or furthest 1. a. Being at considerable distance; remote: a far country.b. Going back a considerable extent in time: the far past.2. More distant than another: the far corner.3. Extensive or lengthy: a far trek.4. Far-seeing and comprehensive in thought or outlook: a commander of far vision.5. Marked by political views of the most advanced or extreme nature: the far right; the far left.6. a. Being on the right side of an animal or a vehicle.b. Being the animal or vehicle on the right.Idioms: by far To the most extreme or evident degree: She is by far the best executive in the company. far and away By a great margin: is far and away the smartest student in the class. far and wide Everywhere: looked far and wide for the lost puppy. far be it from (someone) Used to deflect responsibility for making a statement that might not be received well: Far be it from me to criticize, but I find your handwriting to be very sloppy. far cry1. A long way: stuck at the airport in Memphis, a far cry from Maine.2. Something that is very different from something else: This food is a far cry from what we got in the cafeteria. far from Not at all; anything but: You are far from a failure. far gone In an advanced state of a process, especially an undesirable state that is beyond improvement or reversal: “The fire was issuing from a long straw-stack, which was so far gone as to preclude a possibility of saving it” (Thomas Hardy). far out Slang Used to express amazement or approval. how far To what degree, distance, or extent: didn’t know how far to believe them; tried to decide how far she could ski in such cold. so far1. Up to the present moment: So far there’s been no word from them.2. To a limited extent: You can go only so far on five dollars. thus far Up to this point; so far: Our success has been limited thus far.[Middle English, from Old English feor; see per in Indo-European roots.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.far (f??) adv, farther, further, farthest or furthest1. at, to, or from a great distance2. 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 a. to the degree or extent thatb. to the distance or place ofc. informal with reference to; as for5. by far by a considerable margin6. far and away by a very great margin7. far and wide over great distances; everywhere8. far be it from me I would not presume; on no account: far be it from me to tell you what to do. 9. far gone a. in an advanced state of deteriorationb. informal extremely drunk10. go far a. to be successful; achieve much: your son will go far. b. to be sufficient or last long: the wine didn’t go far. 11. go too far to exceed reasonable limits12. how far? to what extent, distance, or degree?13. in so far as to the degree or extent that14. so far a. up to the present momentb. up to a certain point, extent, degree, etc15. so far, so good an expression of satisfaction with progress madeadj (prenominal) 16. remote in space or time: a far country; in the far past. 17. extending a great distance; long18. more distant: the far end of the room. 19. a far cry a. a long wayb. something very different20. far from in a degree, state, etc, remote from: he is far from happy. [Old English feorr; related to Old Frisian f?r, Old High German ferro, Latin porro forwards, Greek pera further] ?farness nCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014far (f?r) adv., adj. far?ther fur?ther, far?thest fur?thest. adv. 1. at or to a great distance or remote point; a long way off: We sailed far ahead of the fleet. 2. at or to a remote or advanced time: to talk far into the night. 3. at or to a great, advanced, or definite point or degree of progress: Having come this far, we might as well continue. 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. extending to a great distance: the far frontiers of empire. 7. more distant of the two: the far corner. Idioms: 1. a far cry, a. quite some distance; removed. b. very different; in sharp contrast. 2. by far, a. by a great deal; very much: too expensive by far. b. plainly; obviously: This melon is by far the ripest of all. 3. far and away, without doubt; to a large extent. 4. far and wide, to great lengths; over great distances. Also, far and near, near and far. 5. 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 cold in here. 6. go far, to achieve a great deal. 7. how far, to what distance, extent, or degree: How far can the people be deceived? 8. so far, a. up to now. b. up to a certain point or extent. 9. the far side, the farther or opposite side: the far side of the moon. 10. thus far, so far. [before 900; Middle English far, fer, Old English feorr; c. Old High German ferr, Old Norse fjar, Gothic fairra] far?ness, n. usage: See as1, farther. Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.far1. distanceYou use how far when you are asking about a distance.However, don’t use ‘far’ when you are stating a distance. Don’t say, for example, that something is 10 kilometres ‘far’ from a place. You say that it is 10 kilometres from the place or 10 kilometres away from it.You use far in questions and negative sentences to mean ‘a long distance’. For example, if you say that it is not far to a place, you mean that the place is not a long distance from where you are.Don’t use ‘far’ like this in positive sentences. Don’t say, for example, that a place is ‘far’. You say that it is far away or a long way away.In modern English, ‘far’ is not used in front of a noun. Don’t, for example, talk about ‘far hills’. Instead you use distant, faraway, or far-off.You also use far in questions and negative sentences to talk about the degree or extent to which something happens.You use far in front of comparatives to say that something has very much more of a quality than something else. For example, if you say that one thing is far bigger than another, you mean that it is very much bigger than the other thing.Far more in front of a noun means ‘very much more’ or ‘very many more’.You can also use far in front of too. For example, if you say that something is far too big, you mean that it is very much bigger than it should be.You can use far in front of too much or too many. For example, if you say that there is far too much of something, you mean that there is a very much greater quantity than is necessary or desirable.In informal English, you can use way instead of far as an intensifier.