fare (noun, verb) /fɛr/ LISTEN
A fare is the price for traveling on an airplane, train, bus or other carrier.
- The senior citizen bus fare is half price.
- The train fare was higher than the airfare.
Fare also means food, especially in a restaurant.
- The Country Kitchen serves a hearty fare.
Fare also means ‘to experience good or bad fortune.’
- How did you fare when you asked the boss for a raise in pay?
- Michelle was surprised at how well her son fared when he moved to his own apartment.
Don't confuse it with
fair, an adjective and noun with the same pronunciation but different meaning.
Common uses
bill of fare: menu.This term is dated, but if a restaurant wants to appear old fashioned, they may use it. Example: “The gastropub writes their bill of fare on a blackboard.”
Related words
farewell: goodbye (formal) Example: “The couple found their coats and said their farewells.”
In pop culture
A taxi passenger is referred to as a fare. The movie Fare follows a taxi driver and his fares. Watch the trailer.
There are other meanings of fare.
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