farther

[ fahr-th er ]
/ ˈfɑr ðər /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR farther ON THESAURUS.COM

adverb, compar. of far with farthest as superl.

at or to a greater distance: He went farther down the road.
at or to a more advanced point: They are going no farther in their studies.
at or to a greater degree or extent: The application of the law was extended farther.

adjective, compar. of far with farthest as superl.

more distant or remote than something or some place nearer: the farther side of the mountain.
extending or tending to a greater distance: He made a still farther trip.
Nonstandard. further(defs 5, 6).

Origin of farther

1300–50; Middle English ferther; orig. variant of further

usage note for farther

Although some usage guides insist that only farther should be used for physical distance ( We walked farther than we planned ), farther and further have been used interchangeably throughout much of their histories. However, only further is used in the adverbial sense “moreover” ( Further, you hurt my feelings ) and in the adjectival senses “more extended” ( no further comment ) and “additional” ( Further bulletins came in ).
The expression all the farther (or further ) in place of as far as occurs chiefly in informal speech: This is all the farther the train goes. See also all.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH farther

farther father further (see usage note at the current entry)

Words nearby farther

farseeing, farsi, farsighted, farsightedness, fart, farther, farthermost, farthest, farthing, farthingale, farthingale chair

Definition for farther (2 of 2)

far
[ fahr ]
/ fɑr /

adverb

at or to a great distance; a long way off; at or to a remote point: We sailed far ahead of the fleet.
at or to a remote or advanced time: We talked far into the night.
at or to a great, advanced, or definite point of progress, or degree: Having come this far, we might as well continue.
much or many: I need far more time. We gained far more advantages.

adjective, far·ther or fur·ther, far·thest or fur·thest.

Origin of far

before 900; Middle English far, fer, Old English feorr; cognate with Old High German ferr, Old Norse fjar, Gothic fairra; akin to German fern far, Latin porrō forward, further

usage note for far

See as1, farther.

OTHER WORDS FROM far

far·ness, noun o·ver·far, adverb, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH far

fair far fare

Words related to farther

further, beyond, yonder, longer, yon

Example sentences from the Web for farther

British Dictionary definitions for farther (1 of 2)

farther
/ (ˈfɑːðə) /

adverb

to or at a greater distance in space or time
in addition

adjective

more distant or remote in space or time
additional

Word Origin for farther

C13: see far, further

usage for farther

Farther, farthest, further, and furthest can all be used to refer to literal distance, but further and furthest are regarded as more correct for figurative senses denoting greater or additional amount, time, etc: further to my letter . Further and furthest are also preferred for figurative distance

British Dictionary definitions for farther (2 of 2)

far
/ (fɑː) /

adverb farther, further, farthest or furthest

adjective (prenominal)

Derived forms of far

farness, noun

Word Origin for far

Old English feorr; related to Old Frisian fīr, Old High German ferro, Latin porro forwards, Greek pera further

Idioms and Phrases with farther (1 of 2)

farther

see can't see beyond (farther than) the end of one's nose.

Idioms and Phrases with farther (2 of 2)

far