distance

[dis-tuhns]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR distance ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the extent or amount of space between two things, points, lines, etc.

the state or fact of being apart in space, as of one thing from another; remoteness.

a linear extent of space: Seven miles is a distance too great to walk in an hour.

an expanse; area: A vast distance of water surrounded the ship.

the interval between two points of time; an extent of time: His vacation period was a good distance away.

remoteness or difference in any respect: Our philosophies are a long distance apart.

an amount of progress: We've come a long distance on the project.

a distant point, place, or region.

the distant part of a field of view: a tree in the distance.

absence of warmth; reserve: Their first meeting in several years was hampered by a certain distance between them.

Music. interval(def 6).

aesthetic distance.

Horse Racing. (in a heat race) the space measured back from the winning post that a horse must reach by the time the winner passes the winning post or be eliminated from subsequent heats.

Mathematics. the greatest lower bound of differences between points, one from each of two given sets.

Obsolete. disagreement or dissension; a quarrel.

verb (used with object), dis·tanced, dis·tanc·ing.

to leave behind at a distance, as at a race; surpass.

to place at a distance.

to cause to appear distant.

Idioms

go the distance,

(in horse racing) to be able to run well in a long race.
Informal.to finish or complete something, especially something difficult, challenging, or requiring sustained effort.

keep at a distance, to treat coldly or in an unfriendly manner.

keep one's distance, to avoid becoming familiar or involved; remain cool or aloof.

Origin of distance

1250–1300; Middle English < Latin distantia, equivalent to distant- (see distant) + -ia -y³; replacing Middle English destaunce < Anglo-French

Related formsdis·tance·less, adjective

Synonyms for distance

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR distance ON THESAURUS.COM

10. remoteness, restraint, coolness, aloofness.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for distanced

outrun, outdo, outstrip, pass, outpace

Examples from the Web for distanced

Contemporary Examples of distanced

Zhenya, a hair salon owner, who had been a vocal supporter of the protests, now distanced himself from the activists.
Why Did Ukraine’s Eurolution Fail?
Vijai Maheshwari
January 5, 2014
Gulen is a former ally of the government who has now distanced himself from the prime minister.
Turkey’s Struggle for Checks and Balances
Husain Haqqani
January 3, 2014
Cooper has distanced herself from the widely panned 2007 movie adaptation, The Seeker.
She Who Came After Tolkien, Before Rowling
John Garth
August 31, 2013
Netanyahu then distanced himself from the statement (settlement construction is, after all, a unilateral step).
Mixed Messages From Israel on Peace Process
Ali Gharib
June 12, 2013
Heritage has distanced itself from Richwine and his dissertation.
Immigrants’ IQ Lower, Wrote Coathor of Heritage Foundation Report
Jamelle Bouie
May 9, 2013

Historical Examples of distanced

Fortunately the light was failing, and in the dusk I distanced the pack by a dozen yards.
In Kings' Byways
Stanley J. Weyman
The cuirassier, being heavier, and mounted on a slower horse, was distanced.
The Man With The Broken Ear
Edmond About
He had followed a roe from that forest to the Osenberg, and had distanced all his attendants.
The Science of Fairy Tales
Edwin Sidney Hartland
Irene Stanwood has not distanced her so immensely, after all.
Floyd Grandon's Honor
Amanda Minnie Douglas
But this distanced them all—Steve and Dolly Beekman were going to be married!
A Little Girl in Old New York
Amanda Millie Douglas

British Dictionary definitions for distanced

distance

noun

the intervening space between two points or things

the length of this gap

the state of being apart in space; remoteness

an interval between two points in time

the extent of progress; advance

a distant place or timehe lives at a distance from his work

a separation or remoteness in relationship; disparity

geometry

the length of the shortest line segment joining two points
the length along a straight line or curve

the distance the most distant or a faraway part of the visible scene or landscape

horse racing

Britisha point on a racecourse 240 yards from the winning post
Britishany interval of more than 20 lengths between any two finishers in a race
USthe part of a racecourse that a horse must reach in any heat before the winner passes the finishing line in order to qualify for later heats

go the distance

boxingto complete a bout without being knocked out
to be able to complete an assigned task or responsibility

keep one's distance to maintain a proper or discreet reserve in respect of another person

the distant parts of a picture, such as a landscape

middle distance

(in a picture) halfway between the foreground and the horizon
(in a natural situation) halfway between the observer and the horizon

(modifier) athletics relating to or denoting the longer races, usually those longer than a milea distance runner

verb (tr)

to hold or place at a distance

to separate (oneself) mentally or emotionally from something

to outdo; outstrip

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for distanced

distance

late 13c., "quarrel, estrangement, discord, strife," from Old French destance (13c.), from Latin distantia "a standing apart," from distantem (nominative distans) "standing apart, separate, distant," present participle of distare "stand apart," from dis- "apart, off" (see dis-) + stare "to stand" (see stet).

Meaning "remoteness, space between things or places" is late 14c. The figurative sense of "aloofness" is the same as in stand-offish. Phrase go the distance (1930s) seems to be originally from the prize ring, where the word meant "scheduled length of a bout."

distance

1570s (transitive); 1640s (intransitive), from distance (n.). Related: Distanced; distancing.

distanced in Medicine

distance

[dĭs′təns]

n.

The extent of space between two objects or places; an intervening space.

Idioms and Phrases with distanced

distance

see go the distance; keep one's distance; spitting distance.