ENGLISH
REFERENCE

fare

n. C / U
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˈfɛɹ// UK //fˈeə// fare Archaic General-service Slang

n. the money you pay to travel on a bus, train, taxi, or plane.

n. the price of passage or the sum paid for a journey on public or commercial transport.


SIMPLE

The bus fare is two dollars for adults.

CONTEXTUAL

Commuters were frustrated when the city announced a ten percent increase in subway fares starting next month.

COMPLEX

While budget airlines offer low base fares, the total cost of travel often escalates once baggage fees and seat selection charges are included.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

From Middle English fare, from a merger of Old English fær (“journey, road”) and faru (“journey, companions, baggage”), from Proto-Germanic farą and farō (“journey, fare”), from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“a going, passage”).

Etymology 2

From Middle English faren, from Old English faran (“to travel, journey”), from Proto-West Germanic faran, from Proto-Germanic faraną, from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“a going, passage”). Cognate with West Frisian farre, Dutch varen (“to sail”), German fahren (“to travel”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål fare, Norwegian Nynorsk and Icelandic fara (“to go”) and Swedish fara (“to travel”).

Usage

Uncountable when referring to the general price of transport; countable when referring to specific tickets or individual passenger payments.

Pitfall

I paid the bus priceI paid the bus fareWhile 'price' is a general term, 'fare' is the specific word used for transportation costs.

Idioms2 entries

© 2026 English Reference