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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Afield: Definition, Usage & Common Mistakes (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：far away (afield)

afield 🔊

/əˈfiːld/

adv.

To or at a distance from one's home or usual place; away.

far away 🔊

➕

/fɑːr əˈweɪ/

adv.

Refers to being at a distance from one's home or usual location.

📁 Category：Transportation & Travel 🔖 Level：中级

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From 'a-' (on) + 'field', originally meaning 'on the field', now extended to mean 'away'.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of 'a field' far from home; 'a-field' sounds like 'away field'.

📖 Example

For this report, we need to travel far afield to gather unique data from rural communities. 🔊 For this report, we need to travel far afield to gather unique data from rural communities.

🔗 Collocations

far afield – to a great distance away

travel afield – to journey to distant places

go afield – to move away from home

🔄 Synonyms

away (adv.) – at a distance from a particular place

abroad (adv.) – in or to a foreign country

afar (adv.) – at or to a distance

🚫 Antonyms

nearby (adv.) – close at hand

close (adv.) – at a short distance

📖 Cultural Story

Afield comes from Middle English, derived from Old English 'on felde', meaning 'in the field'. Over time, it evolved to signify being away from one's usual place, as fields were often outside villages. In modern usage, it frequently appears in academic or business contexts to describe deviations from a main topic.

Meaning 2：off topic (afield)

afield 🔊

/əˈfiːld/

adv.

Used to say that discussion or thought goes beyond the main subject or usual limits.

off topic 🔊

➕

/ɒf ˈtɒpɪk/

adv.

Indicates that discussion or thought has moved beyond the main subject or usual boundaries.

📁 Category：Language Evolution 🔖 Level：中级

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

Our discussion about renewable energy didn't stay on solar power; it went afield into topics like urban planning and public policy. 🔊 Our discussion about renewable energy didn't stay on solar power; it went afield into topics like urban planning and public policy.

🔗 Collocations

go afield – to deviate from the main topic

stray afield – to wander away from the subject

lead afield – to cause to move off topic

🔄 Synonyms

digress (v.) – to leave the main subject temporarily in speech or writing

stray (v.) – to move away from the correct path or topic

wander (v.) – to move or talk aimlessly away from a subject

🚫 Antonyms

stay on topic (phrase) – to remain focused on the main subject

relevant (adj.) – closely connected to the matter at hand