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far [ faar ] (comparative far·ther [ frər ] or fur·ther [ fúrər ], superlative far·thest [ frəst ] or fur·thest [ fúrəst ]) CORE MEANING: an adverb and adjective indicating that something is a long way away in distance or time
  (adv) How far did you have to drive?
(adj) In the far distance were the lights of a settlement. |
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1. adverb not nearby: at, to, or from a great distance
We saw the first outline of the shore far ahead.
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2. adverb not close in time: at or to a long time from the point of reference
Sadly the time for completion falls far in the future.
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3. adverb to specific extent: to the extent that is desirable or necessary
How far will you take your complaint?
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4. adverb much or many: to or by a considerable degree
Keeping a dog healthy is far more complicated than it seems.
There are far fewer factory jobs available these days.
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5. adjective distant: remote in space or time
He stood there, gazing out to the far horizon.
He had lived there once in the far past.
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6. adjective more distant: more distant from somebody or something
on the far side of the room
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7. adjective extreme: having an extreme position in a particular direction
His politics are far left of center.
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| [ Old English feor(r), via Germanic, "farther beyond" < Indo-European] |
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as far as
1. to the greatest distance possible
moved away as far as he could without seeming rude
2. to the extent that
She's happier as far as I can tell.
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by far by a great deal
We've had 200 agreements in four years, by far the largest number in our history.
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far and away without a doubt and by a large margin
She is far and away the best player that we have.
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far and near everywhere
Doctors from far and near flocked to his bedside.
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far and wide covering a great distance
The church bells will be heard far and wide.
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far from not at all
I'm far from satisfied with the outcome.
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far from it on the contrary
He was not the tallest boy in the class - far from it.
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far gone
1. in a state of deterioration and unable to function
These shoes can't be repaired - they're too far gone.
2. very intoxicated (informal)
She was too far gone to drive home.
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far out used to express amazement and approval (dated slang)
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go far
1. to be very successful
He is very talented and I am sure he will go far in his chosen career.
2. to last or be sufficient
Three loaves of bread won't go far once my family gets going.
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go too far to do or say something that is unacceptable or that exceeds reasonable limits
Harriet paused, and realized that she had gone too far.
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in so far as to the extent that
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so far
1. up to this moment
So far, 150 people have shown an interest in the product.
2. up to a certain point, extent, or degree
Freedom of information can only go so far.
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so far so good indicates satisfaction with progress made up to this point
So far so good, but the last part of the climb is the hardest.
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