/ feə(r); NAmE fer/ noun , verb
■ noun
1.
[ C , U ] the money that you pay to travel by bus, plane, taxi, etc. :
bus / taxi fares
train / rail fares
Children travel (at) half fare.
When do they start paying full fare?
—see also airfare , return fare
2.
[ C ] a passenger in a taxi :
The taxi driver picked up a fare at the station.
3.
[ U ] ( old-fashioned or formal ) food that is offered as a meal :
The restaurant provides good traditional fare.
( figurative )
■ verb
[ v ] fare well, badly, better, etc. to be successful / unsuccessful in a particular situation
SYN get on :
The party fared very badly in the last election.
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English fær , faru travelling, a journey or expedition , faran to travel , also get on (well or badly ), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch varen and German fahren to travel, Old Norse ferja ferry boat, also to ford . Senses 1 and 2 of the noun stem from an earlier meaning a journey for which a price is paid . Noun sense 3 was originally used with reference to the quality or quantity of food provided, probably from the idea of faring well or badly.