far
Far has two comparatives, farther and further, and two superlatives, farthest and furthest. Farther and farthest are used mainly in sense 1, and are dealt with here. Further and furthest are dealt with in separate entries.
1 adv If one place, thing, or person is far away from another, there is a great distance between them.
ADV after v, v-link ADV, usu ADV prep/adv (Antonym: near)
I know a nice little Italian restaurant not far from here..., They came from as far away as Florida..., Both of my sisters moved even farther away from home..., They lay in the cliff top grass with the sea stretching out far below..., Is it far?
2 adv If you ask howfar a place is, you are asking what distance it is from you or from another place. If you ask howfar someone went, you are asking what distance they travelled, or what place they reached.
how ADV, as/so ADV as, ADV-compar than
How far is Pawtucket from Providence?..., How far is it to Malcy?..., How far can you throw?..., You can only judge how high something is when you know how far away it is..., She followed the tracks as far as the road.
3 adj When there are two things of the same kind in a place, thefar one is the one that is a greater distance from you.
ADJ n (Antonym: near)
He had wandered to the far end of the room...
4 adj You can use far to refer to the part of an area or object that is the greatest distance from the centre in a particular direction. For example, thefar north of a country is the part of it that is the greatest distance to the north.
ADJ n
I wrote the date at the far left of the blackboard.
5 adv A time or event that is far away in the future or the past is a long time from the present or from a particular point in time.
ADV after v, v-link ADV, usu ADV adv/prep
...hidden conflicts whose roots lie far back in time..., I can't see any farther than the next six months..., The first day of term, which seemed so far away at the start of the summer holidays, is looming.
6 adv You can use far to talk about the extent or degree to which something happens or is true.
ADV with v, usu how ADV
How far did the film tell the truth about Barnes Wallis?...
7 adv You can talk about how far someone or something gets to describe the progress that they make.
ADV with v, oft how ADV
Discussions never progressed very far..., Think of how far we have come in a little time..., I don't think Mr Cavanagh would get far with that trick.
8 adv You can talk about how far a person or action goes to describe the degree to which someone's behaviour or actions are extreme.
ADV with v
It's still not clear how far the Russian parliament will go to implement its own plans..., This time he's gone too far.
9 adv You can use far to mean `very much' when you are comparing two things and emphasizing the difference between them. For example, you can say that something is far better or far worse than something else to indicate that it is very much better or worse. You can also say that something is, for example, far too big to indicate that it is very much too big.
usu ADV compar, ADV too adj/adv, also ADV adv/prep (emphasis)
Women who eat plenty of fresh vegetables are far less likely to suffer anxiety or depression..., The police say the response has been far better than expected..., These trials are simply taking far too long...
10 adj You can describe people with extreme left-wing or right-wing political views as the far left or the far right.
ADJ n
(=extreme)
Anti-racist campaigners are urging the Government to ban all far-Right groups.
11 adv You can use far in expressions like `as far as I know' and `so far as I remember' to indicate that you are not absolutely sure of the statement you are about to make or have just made, and you may be wrong.
as/so ADV as (vagueness)
It only lasted a couple of years, as far as I know..., So far as I am aware, no proper investigation has ever been carried out into the subject.
12 You use the expression far and away when you are comparing something or someone with others of the same kind, in order to emphasize how great the difference is between them. For example, you can say that something is far and away the best to indicate that it is definitely the best.
far and away phrase PHR the adj-superl (emphasis)
(=easily)
He's still far and away the best we have.
13 You use the expression by far when you are comparing something or someone with others of the same kind, in order to emphasize how great the difference is between them. For example, you can say that something is by far the best or the best by far to indicate that it is definitely the best.
by far phrase PHR with compar/superl (emphasis)
By far the most important issue for them is unemployment..., It was better by far to be clear-headed.
14 If you say that something is far from a particular thing or far from being the case, you are emphasizing that it is not that particular thing or not at all the case, especially when people expect or assume that it is.
far from phrase PHR n/-ing/adj, oft v-link PHR (emphasis)
It was obvious that much of what they recorded was far from the truth..., Far from being relaxed, we both felt so uncomfortable we hardly spoke..., It is still far from clear exactly what the Thais intend to do.
15 You can use the expression `far from it' to emphasize a negative statement that you have just made.
far from it phrase
(emphasis)
Being dyslexic does not mean that one is unintelligent. Far from it.
16 You say far be it from me to disagree, or far be it from me to criticize, when you are disagreeing or criticizing and you want to appear less hostile.
far be it from me to do sth phrase PHR to-inf
Far be it from me to criticise, but shouldn't their mother take a share of the blame?
17 If you say that something is good as far as it goes or true so far as it goes, you mean that it is good or true only to a limited extent.
as far as it goes phrase PHR with cl
His plan for tax relief is fine as far as it goes but will not be sufficient to get the economy moving again.
18 If you say that someone will go far, you mean that they will be very successful in their career.
sb will go far phrase
I was very impressed with the talent of Michael Ball. He will go far.
19 Someone or something that is far gone is in such a bad state or condition that not much can be done to help or improve them.
far gone phrase v-link PHR
In his last few days the pain seemed to have stopped, but by then he was so far gone that it was no longer any comfort..., Many of the properties are in a desperate state but none is too far gone to save.
20 Someone or something that is not far wrong, not far out, or not far off is almost correct or almost accurate.
not far wrong/out/off phrase v-link PHR, oft PHR in n
I hadn't been far wrong in my estimate..., Robertson is not far off her target.
21 You can use the expression `as far as I can see' when you are about to state your opinion of a situation, or have just stated it, to indicate that it is your personal opinion.
as far as I can see phrase PHR with cl
As far as I can see there are only two reasons for such an action.
22 If you say that something only goes so far or can only go so far, you mean that its extent, effect, or influence is limited.
so far phrase PHR after v
Their loyalty only went so far..., The church can only go so far in secular matters.
23 If you tell or ask someone what has happened so far, you are telling or asking them what has happened up until the present point in a situation or story, and often implying that something different might happen later.
so far phrase PHR with cl
It's been quiet so far..., So far, they have met with no success...
24 You can say so far so good to express satisfaction with the way that a situation or activity is progressing, developing, or happening.
so far so good phrase
(feelings)
25 If people come from far and wide, they come from a large number of places, some of them far away. If things spread far and wide, they spread over a very large area or distance.
WRITTEN
far and wide phrase from PHR, PHR after v
Volunteers came from far and wide..., His fame spread far and wide.
26 If you say that someone won't go far wrong or can't go far wrong with a particular thing or course of action, you mean that it is likely to be successful or satisfactory.
sb will/can not go far wrong phrase
If you remember these three golden rules you won't go far wrong.
27
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as far as I am concerned
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concern
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a far cry from
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cry
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in so far as
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insofar as
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near and far
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near
