distance
noun · verb
Simple meaning
The space between two points, or how far apart things are
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
distuhnsSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈdɪstəns
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The property created by the space between two objects or points
countable
An amount of space between points (often geographical points), usually (but not necessarily) measured along a straight line.
countable
Chiefly with a modifying word: a measure between two points or quantities; a difference, a variance.
The interval between two times
countable
An interval or length of time between events.
countablefigurative
A separation in some way other than space or time.
verb
transitive
Often followed by from: to set (someone or something) at a distance (noun noun, sense 1.1) from someone or something else.
transitive
To leave behind (someone or something moving in the same direction; specifically, other competitors in a race) some distance away; to outpace, to outstrip.
figurative
To keep oneself emotionally or socially apart from another person or people; to keep one's distance.
“We have to distance ourselves from these events in order to continue living.”
transitive
To cause (a place, a thing, etc.) to seem distant, or (figurative) unfamiliar.
To set oneself at a distance from someone or something else; to move away from someone or something.
transitivefigurative
To exceed or surpass (someone, such as a peer or rival); to outdo, to outstrip.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The property created by the space between two objects or points
Used this way, distance is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use distance
- “I could see it in the distance.”noun
- “If that happens it will be at some distance in the future.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Situated farthest from point of attachment or origin, as of a limb or bone.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Vision for objects that a 20 feet or more from the viewer.
The distance from a lens to its focus.
The distance in front of a lens that is focused at infinity beyond which all objects are well defined and clear.
Stay clear of, avoid.
Of or relating to or being a long-distance telephone call.
A telephone call made outside the local calling area.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
Separated in space or coming from or going to a distance.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.