English Reference
noun · verb

fare

n. · v.
US /ˈfɛɹ/ UK /fˈeə/ fare UK spelling fared

  1. 01 B1 Intermediate

    n.the money you pay for a journey on a bus, train, taxi, or plane.

    n.the sum of money charged for a journey on public transport or in a hired vehicle.

    Simple

    The bus fare has gone up twice this year, making it expensive for students.

    In context

    Commuters were outraged when the rail company announced a significant increase in peak-time fares despite frequent service delays.

    Usage

    Usually countable when referring to specific prices.

  2. 02 C1 Advanced Technical

    n.a person who pays to travel in a vehicle, especially a taxi.

    n.a paying passenger in a hired vehicle, particularly a taxicab.

    Simple

    The taxi driver picked up his last fare of the night near the station.

    In context

    The driver noted the destination of his fare in the logbook before pulling away from the kerb into the heavy rain.

    Usage

    Commonly used in the transport industry or by drivers.

  3. 03 B2 Upper Intermediate LiteraryFormal Cooking

    n.the type of food and drink that is served at a meal or in a restaurant.

    n.a range of food and drink of a specified type; often used in literary or hospitality contexts.

    Simple

    The restaurant is famous for its traditional English fare like roast beef.

    In context

    The tavern offered simple but hearty fare, providing much-needed sustenance to the weary travellers after their long journey.

    Usage

    Uncountable in this sense.

  4. 04 B2 Upper Intermediate

    v.to get along or succeed in a particular situation.

    v.to progress or perform in a specified way; almost always used with an adverbial modifier.

    Simple

    How did you fare in your job interview yesterday?

    In context

    Economists are closely watching how small businesses fare under the new tax regulations introduced earlier this quarter.

    Usage

    Intransitive; typically followed by adverbs like 'well', 'badly', or 'better'.

Brewis says some users have fared a lot better than my sorry effort.

BBC News· 15 Aug 2026

How would they fare against Spain or Argentina?

The Guardian· 22 Jul 2026

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”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin ine-pro *per-
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated