From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishfarfar1 /fɑː $ fɑːr/ ●●● S1 W1 adverb (comparative farther /ˈfɑːðə $ ˈfɑːrðər/ or further /ˈfɜːðə $ ˈfɜːrðər/, superlative farthest /ˈfɑːðɪst $ ˈfɑːr-/ or furthest /ˈfɜːðɪst $ ˈfɜːr-/) 1 distance a) FARa long distance Have you driven far? Since I changed jobs, I have to travel further to get to work. Let’s see who can jump the furthest!far from The children don’t go far from home.far away She wants to move as far away from here as possible. They could hear the sound of water not far away.far down He lives further down the street.further afield (=further away from where you are now) If you want to go further afield, there are bicycles for hire.further north/south etc Many birds fly further south in the autumn. The plains stretched for as far as the eye could see (=all the distance you could see). The lake is about 4 miles away, but we probably won’t get that far (=won’t go as far as that place). b) how farDISTANCE used when asking the distance between two places, or when talking about the distance between two places How far is it to the station? The man didn’t say how far it was to the next town. c) as far as something to a place or point, but not beyond it They managed to get as far as the Spanish border.RegisterIn everyday English, far is usually only used in negative sentences (it’s not far) and questions (how far…?)In positive sentences, people usually use the expression a long way:Her house was a long way from the nearest town. It’s so far to go! → It’s such a long way to go!2 a lot/very muchLOT/VERY MUCH very much, or to a great degreefar better/easier etc The new system is far better than the old one. There are a far greater number of women working in television than twenty years ago.far more/less I enjoyed it far more than I expected.far too much/long/busy etc That’s far too much to pay. It would take me far too long to explain.far above/below/beyond He bought it for a price that was far beyond (=much more than) its real value. The teacher said that her writing skills were far below average. We’ve kept the original features of the house as far as possible (=as much as possible). How far do those old, outdated laws affect today’s legislation? His style was far removed (=very different) from that of Picasso.not far off/out/wrong (=close to being correct) I guessed it would cost $100 and it was $110, so I was not far out.3 progressVERY used to talk about how much progress someone makes, or how much effect something has He started to explain, but he didn’t get far (=he did not succeed in saying very much) before Mary interrupted him.get as far as doing something They had got as far as painting the kitchen. Many people felt that the new law did not go far enough (=did not have a big enough effect, so that more needed to be done).4 timeLONG TIME a long time in the past or the future, or a long time into a particular periodfar into We talked far into the night.far ahead They want to plan much further ahead than the next few years. The first petrol-driven car was produced as far back as 1883. → far-off5 → go too far6 → go so far/as far as to do something7 → so far8 → so far so good9 → far from something10 → far from it11 → far and wide12 → by far/far and away13 → somebody will/would/should etc go far14 → as/so far as I’m concerned15 → as/so far as something is concerned16 → as/so far as I know/I can remember/I can tell/I can see etc17 → far be it from me to do something18 → as far as it goes19 → not go far20 → in so far as/insofar as/in as far asTHESAURUSfar adverb a long distance – used mainly in negatives and questions, or after ‘too’, ‘so’, and ‘as’It’s not far to the airport from here.Have you driven far?The ship was so far away we could hardly see it.a long way adverb a long distance from somewhere. This is the most common way of talking about long distances, except in negatives and questions when far is also commonYou must be tired – you’ve come a long way.It’s a long way down from the top of the cliff.I can’t see things that are a long way away.miles adverb informal a very long wayWe hiked miles.The school is miles away from where I live.in the distance adverb a long way from where you are now – used when talking about things that seem small or sounds that seem quiet because they are a long way awayDogs were barking somewhere in the distance.distant adjective especially written used about something that is a long distance from where you are now, and looks small or sounds quietBy now, the plane was just a distant speck in the sky.the rumble of distant thunderfaraway adjective especially written a very long distance from where you are nowa traveller from a faraway landHis voice sounded faraway.He told us stories about the faraway countries he had visited.remote adjective a remote place is a long distance from other places, and few people go thereThe helicopter crashed in a remote part of the country.remote holiday destinationsisolated adjective an isolated place is a long distance from other towns, buildings, or people, and there is very little communication with surrounding placesisolated rural areas of NepalOccasionally we passed through a small isolated village.If you travel to isolated areas, make sure you have a good guide.off the beaten track (also off the beaten path American English) adverb a place that is off the beaten track is a long distance from the places where people usually go, and often seems interesting and different because of thisShe likes to go to places that are a bit off the beaten track.
Examples from the Corpus
far• I don't want to drive very far.• Who do you think can jump the farthest?• Alfonsina Storni seems to have veered as far as possible to the opposite extreme.• Sometimes as far as sixty miles.• We won't be able to go much farther because of the snow.• I was now far behind the others and knew I couldn't catch up.• Cleveland isn't very far from here.• We were sitting too far from the stage to hear what the actors were saying.• Eventually Mark found a place for it far in the bows of the raft, like a miniature fourth mast.• Some people were far more concerned about tuberculosis.• Only two children have talked about the incidents so far, she said.• Lightning dipped and veered in a manner which was far too close for comfort.• But there were far too few new faces, and far too many head office honchos.• Because of the language barrier and culture shock, such insights are far too rare.not far off/out/wrong• In the high country, winter is not far off.• Of course ticket-of-leave is never full of pardon but it's not far off.• The money-collecting always seemed to mean that trouble was not far off.• That much was not far out of the ordinary among Jesuit scholastics.• I was a lad, and there was a farm not far off us.go far enough• But does it go far enough?• But it is more likely that he will not go far enough.• Republicans criticized him for not going far enough.• The package also angered many Hong Kong liberals who argued that the reforms did not go far enough.• This does not go far enough.• The management changes may not go far enough, analysts said.• Loretta decided she had gone far enough, and used the beginning of a farm track to turn the car in.• The account, however, failed to go far enough to explain the supply side of the situation.as far back as• Plans for a share offering date as far back as the late 1980s.• Poisoning incidents have been registered as far back as 1842.• The city had already established a group of engineering colleges as far back as 1860.• The first recorded game took place as far back as 1851 with a match between Oporton and Lisbon.• There are all of these companies or older industrialized sites from as far back as the turn of the century.• There is a dominant sense of existentialism running through your books, beginning as far back as your first novel.• There is some history of women trying to form soccer leagues in Great Britain as far back as the 1800s.• They were in fact social outcasts, to whom documentary references can be found going as far back as the thirteenth century.farfar2 ●●● S1 W1 adjective (comparative farther or further, superlative farthest or furthest) 1 FARa long distance away OPP near We can walk to my house from here. It isn’t far. You could see the mountains in the far distance.2 → the far side/end/corner etc3 → the far north/south etc4 → the far left/right5 → be a far cry from something6 → a bridge too farExamples from the Corpus
far• We can walk if it's not far.• In the far distance she could see the outlines of several tall buildings.• On the far side of the village was a small water mill, probably used for grinding corn.Origin far1 Old English feorr 