distance
Meanings
- An amount of space between points (often geographical points), usually (but not necessarily) measured along a straight line.
- Chiefly in by a distance: a space of more than 30 lengths (about 80 yards or 7.3 metres) between two racehorses finishing a race, used to describe the margin of victory; also (archaic), any space of 240 yards (about 219.5 metres) on a racecourse.
- Chiefly in from a distance: a place which is far away or remote; specifically (especially painting), a more remote part of a landscape or view as contrasted with the foreground.
- Chiefly with a modifying word: a measure between two points or quantities; a difference, a variance.
- An interval or length of time between events.
- A separation in some way other than space or time.
- Synonym of length (“an extent measured along the longest dimension of an object”).
- A disagreement, a dispute; also, an estrangement.
- A difference in pitch between sounds; an interval.
- The amount of space between points (often geographical points), usually (but not necessarily) measured along a straight line.
- The maximum amount of space between a boxer and their opponent within which the boxer can punch effectively.
- Often in go the distance, last the distance, or stay the distance: the scheduled duration of a bout.
- Often followed by from: to set (someone or something) at a distance (noun sense 1.1) from someone or something else.
- To cause (a place, a thing, etc.) to seem distant, or (figurative) unfamiliar.
- To leave behind (someone or something moving in the same direction; specifically, other competitors in a race) some distance away; to outpace, to outstrip.
- To keep (someone) emotionally or socially apart from another person or people.
- To exceed or surpass (someone, such as a peer or rival); to outdo, to outstrip.
- To keep (oneself) away from someone or something, especially because one does not want to be associated with that person or thing.
- Of a racehorse: to beat (another horse) by a certain distance; also (passive voice), to cause (a horse) to be disqualified by beating it by a certain distance.
- To cover the entire distance to (something).
- To depart from (a place); to leave (a place) behind.
- To indicate or measure the distance to (a place).
- To set (two or more things) at regular distances from each other; to space, to space out.
- Often followed by from.
Pronunciation
Word forms
Etymology
From Middle English distance, distaunce, destance (“disagreement, dispute; discrimination; armed conflict; hostility; trouble; space between two points; time interval”), from Anglo-Norman distance, distaunce, destance, Middle French distance, and Old French destance, destaunce, distaunce (“debate; difference, distinction; discord, quarrel; dispute; space between two points; time interval”) (modern French distance), and directly from their etymon Latin distantia (“difference, diversity; distance, remoteness; space between two points”) (whence also Late Latin distantia (“disagreement; discrepancy; gap, opening; time interval”)), from distāns (“being distant; standing apart”) + -ia (suffix forming feminine abstract nouns). Distāns is the present active participle of distō (“to be distant; to stand apart; to differ”), from dis- (prefix meaning ‘apart, asunder; in two’) + stō (“to stand”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“to stand (up)”)). The verb is derived from the noun. Cognates * Middle Dutch distancie, distantie (modern Dutch distantie); Dutch afstand (“distance”, literally “off-stand, off-stance”) * German Distanz; German Abstand * Italian distanza * Portuguese distância * Spanish distancia