far / fär/ • adv. (far·ther / ˈfär[voicedth]ər/ , far·thest / ˈfär[voicedth]əst/ or fur·ther / ˈfər[voicedth]ər/ , fur·thest / ˈfər[voicedth]əst/ ) 1. at, to, or by a great distance (used to indicate the extent to which one thing is distant from another): it was not too far away.2. over a large expanse of space or time: he had not traveled far.3. by a great deal: the reality has fallen far short of expectations.• adj. situated at a great distance in space or time: the far reaches of the universe. ∎  more distant than another object of the same kind: he was standing in the far corner. ∎  distant from a point seen as central; extreme: the far north of Scotland electoral success for the far right.PHRASES: as far as for as great a distance as: the river stretched away as far as he could see. ∎  for a great enough distance to reach: I decided to walk as far as the village. ∎  to the extent that: as far as I am concerned, it is no big deal.be a far cry from be very different from: the hotel's royal suite is a far cry from the poverty of his home country.by far by a great amount: this was by far the largest city in the area.far and away by a great amount: he is far and away the most accomplished player.far and near (also near and far) everywhere: they came from far and near.far and wide over a large area: the plains where bison roamed far and wide.far be it from me to used to express reluctance, esp. to do something that one thinks may be resented: far be it from me to speculate on his reasons.far from very different from being; tending to the opposite of: conditions were far from satisfactory.far gone in a bad or worsening state, esp. so as to be beyond recovery. ∎  advanced in time: the legislative session is too far gone for lengthy hearings.go far1. achieve a great deal: he was the bright one, and everyone was sure he would go far.2. contribute greatly: a book that goes far toward bridging the gap.3. be worth or amount to much: the money would not go far at this year's prices.go too far exceed the limits of what is reasonable or acceptable.how far1. used to ask how great a distance is: they wanted to know how far he could travel.2. to what extent: he was not sure how far she was committed.so far1. to a certain limited extent: the commitment to free trade goes only so far.2. (of a trend that seems likely to continue) up to this time: we've only had one honest man so far.ORIGIN: Old English feorr; from an Indo-European root shared by Sanskrit para and Greek pera ‘further.’