Sign In Get Started
Preposition after verb

fare with prepositions

The verb fare usually means “perform” or “manage.” It is commonly followed by in, against, or on depending on the meaning. Fare to is uncommon in modern English, and fare as is mainly used with roles or identities.

Quick answer

Which prepositions are used with fare?

Use fare in for performance in a situation, fare against for competition or comparison, and fare on for survival or progress using something. Fare as is possible when talking about a role. Fare to is rare and mainly appears in old-fashioned expressions.

She fared well in the interview.
Our team fared badly against stronger opponents.
The project fared on limited funding for months.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
fare in + situation

Performance in an activity or circumstance

Use fare in to talk about success or failure in a particular context.

He fared well in negotiations.
Small firms often fare poorly in recessions.
2
fare against + opponent

Results compared with another person or thing

Use fare against when comparing performance with competitors or standards.

How did the company fare against its rivals?
The rookie fared surprisingly well against experienced players.
3
fare on + resource

Managing or surviving using something

Use fare on for the thing that supports survival or progress.

The travellers fared on bread and tea.
The charity fared on donations alone.
4
fare as + role

Success in a role or identity

Fare as can describe how someone performs in a particular role.

She fared well as team leader.
He never fared well as a public speaker.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
fare in
The students fared well in the exam.
performance within a situation or activity
fare against
The startup fared badly against larger companies.
results in comparison or competition
fare on
The group fared on simple supplies.
manage or survive using something
fare to
The phrase fares thee well is old-fashioned.
rare in modern English except in fixed expressions
fare as
She fared better as a consultant than as a manager.
performance in a role

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using fare to for performance

Modern English usually does not use fare to for success or failure in a situation.

✕ He fared to the exam. ✓ He fared well in the exam.

Confusing fare on with location

Fare on refers to support or resources, not physical position.

✕ The team fared on the stadium. ✓ The team fared well in the stadium.

Missing the comparison after against

Against normally introduces the competitor or standard.

✕ Our company fared against. ✓ Our company fared well against foreign competitors.

Using fare as for temporary actions

Fare as is mainly for roles or identities.

✕ She fared as yesterday. ✓ She fared well yesterday.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The business fared badly ___ international competitors.
2. They managed to fare ___ very little food.
3. She fared well ___ her new role.

Check your sentence in context

Paste the complete sentence below. Linguix checks the preposition together with grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style.

Free to try · No signup required

Frequently asked questions

Is fare to common in modern English?

No. Fare to is rare today and mostly survives in old-fashioned expressions.

Can I use fare against for exams?

Not usually. Use fare in for exams and fare against for competitors or comparisons.

What does fare on mean?

It means survive, continue, or manage using particular resources.

face, with, face, by facilitate by, in, with, for or through? "fade into", "fade to" or "fade from"? fail in, at, to, on or for? "fall into" or "fall in"? falter in, after, for, on or under? fantasize about, on, of or over? "fascinate by" or "fascinate with"? "fasten to", "fasten on" or "fasten with"? favor by, in, for, from or of? favour by, in, for, over or of? "fear for", "fear in" or "fear of"?

Write with confidence in Linguix

Create a free account to check complete texts, apply suggestions, and save your documents.

Create a free account