distance

American  

[dis-tuhns] / ˈdɪs təns /

noun

distances plural

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

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

3. a linear extent of space.

   Seven miles is a distance too great to walk in an hour.

4. an expanse; area.

   A vast distance of water surrounded the ship.

5. the interval between two points of time; an extent of time.

   His vacation period was a good distance away.

6. remoteness or difference in any respect.

   Our philosophies are a long distance apart.

7. an amount of progress.

   We've come a long distance on the project.

8. a distant point, place, or region.

9. the distant part of a field of view.

   a tree in the distance.

10. absence of warmth; reserve.

    Their first meeting in several years was hampered by a certain distance between them.

    Synonyms:

    aloofness, coolness, restraint, remoteness

11. Music. interval.

12. aesthetic distance.

13. 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.

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

15. Obsolete. disagreement or dissension; a quarrel.

---

verb (used with object)

distances, present (3rd person singular) distanced, past participle, past distancing present participle

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

2. to place at a distance.

3. to cause to appear distant.

idioms

1. go the distance,

   1. (in horse racing) to be able to run well in a long race.

   2. Informal. to finish or complete something, especially something difficult, challenging, or requiring sustained effort.

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

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

distance British  

/ ˈdɪstəns /

noun

1. the intervening space between two points or things

2. the length of this gap

3. the state of being apart in space; remoteness

4. an interval between two points in time

5. the extent of progress; advance

6. a distant place or time

   he lives at a distance from his work

7. a separation or remoteness in relationship; disparity

8. geometry

   1. the length of the shortest line segment joining two points

   2. the length along a straight line or curve

9. the most distant or a faraway part of the visible scene or landscape

10. horse racing

    1. a point on a racecourse 240 yards from the winning post

    2. any interval of more than 20 lengths between any two finishers in a race

    3. the 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

11. 1. boxing to complete a bout without being knocked out

    2. to be able to complete an assigned task or responsibility

12. to maintain a proper or discreet reserve in respect of another person

13. the distant parts of a picture, such as a landscape

14. 1. (in a picture) halfway between the foreground and the horizon

    2. (in a natural situation) halfway between the observer and the horizon

15. (modifier) athletics relating to or denoting the longer races, usually those longer than a mile

    a distance runner

---

verb

1. to hold or place at a distance

2. to separate (oneself) mentally or emotionally from something

3. to outdo; outstrip

distance More Idioms  

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

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• distanceless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• distances
  plural

Participles

• distancing
  present
• distanced
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• distance
  simple
• distances
  simple
• have distanced
  perfect
• has distanced
  perfect
• am distancing
  progressive
• are distancing
  progressive
• is distancing
  progressive
• have been distancing
  perfect progressive
• has been distancing
  perfect progressive

Past

• distanced
  simple
• had distanced
  perfect
• was distancing
  progressive
• were distancing
  progressive
• had been distancing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will distance
  simple
• will have distanced
  perfect
• will be distancing
  progressive
• will have been distancing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of distance

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin distantia, from distant- (stem of distāns “standing apart”; see distant) + -ia -y ³; replacing Middle English destaunce, from Anglo-French

Explanation

Distance is an amount of space between things. From a distance, it's hard to tell if someone's wearing a vampire costume or just a chic black outfit. The noun distance usually refers to physical space in between two objects, like the distance between your parking spot and the entrance to the mall. It can also mean an interval in time, like a distance of two years since you graduated. Another meaning of distance is remoteness, like the distance between you and a close friend who doesn't talk to you much these days. The Latin root is distantia, "a standing apart."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

distance distances distanced distancing

Esmée Gummer is a long distance runner who is currently taking on a 5,000km challenge across the UK over a 99 day period.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

The ULR in its designation stands for "ultra long distance", a feat made possible by an additional 20,000-litre rear centre fuel tank being fitted to Airbus's A350-1000 model.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

The extra distance raises freight and insurance costs, ties up ships and can delay deliveries by weeks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

She gets him within spitting distance of Downing Street just in time for her husband to dump her.

From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026

When they saw that automobile coming in the distance, they didn’t know what it was.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

On a trip to Cambridge, Maryland, Bond got off the boat and was greeted by around 2,500 Black parents who had traveled great distances to get his ear.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

Francisco Martín, the government delegate in Madrid, warned those numbers could rise as "embers are flying for miles and the fire is jumping great distances".

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

It's a kind of evolutionary trade-off: A very complex song provides a lot of information, but it is difficult to transmit that information over long distances in complex environments.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

Trainspotters have been studying Big Boy 4014’s schedule and traveling long distances to catch sight of the iron giant.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

Now, rats can run faster than people, especially over short distances.

From "Coraline" by Neil Gaiman

The adaptation is set to be released in January 2027, but Adeyemi has already distanced herself from the project.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Rakhmon has also distanced himself from the country's Soviet past -- though without openly criticising key ally Russia.

From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026

His first book, “Fresh Off the Boat,” became the longest-running network sitcom centered on an Asian American family, even as Huang publicly distanced himself from the show.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

A spokesperson for Gore distanced him from Socolow and Pacala’s work but did not directly address the question of whether knowledge of BP’s role in the paper would have changed his opinion of their findings.

From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026

And even then, I wanted you to be conscious, to understand that to be distanced, if only for a moment, from fear is not a passport out of the struggle.

From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates

That distancing has diminished modern perceptions of her talents and importance, as compared with, most obviously, her better-recorded friend and disciple Bessie Smith.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

Amy Xiang, who Sauntered last year, was a college freshman in 2020 and spent much of her undergraduate career socially distancing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026

Le Pen has long sought to make the party she inherited from her father Jean-Marie more palatable, including by distancing it from the antisemitic legacy of a man convicted for Holocaust denial.

From Barron's ● May 7, 2026

“Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” somehow distancing itself from this history, has become one of the hottest tickets of the Broadway season.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026

And the more he heard about the school district distancing themselves from what had happened, the more certain he was that nothing would ever be fixed.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro

Related Words

• area
• gap
• length
• orbit
• radius
• scope
• separation
• size
• space
• span
• stretch
• width