Adjacent Words

Distance definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

DISTANCE, n. [L., to stand apart; to stand.]
1. An interval or space between two objects; the length of the shortest line which intervenes between two things that are separate; as a great or small distance. Distance may be aline, an inch, a mile, or any indefinite length; as the distance between the sun and Saturn.
2. Preceded by at, remoteness of place.
He waits at distance till he hears from Cato.
3. Preceded by thy, his, your, her, their, a suitable space, or such remoteness as is common or becoming; as, let him keep his distance; keep your distance. [See No. 8.]
4. A space marked on the course where horses run.
This horse ran the whole field out of distance.
5. Space of time; any indefinite length of time, past or future, intervening between two periods or events; as the distance of an hour, of a year, of an age.
6. Ideal space or separation.
Qualities that affect our senses are, in the things themselves, so united and blended, that there is no distance between them.
7. Contrariety; opposition.
Banquo was your enemy, so he is mine, and in such bloody distance--
8. The remoteness which respect requires; hence, respect.
I hope your modesty will know what distance to the crown is due.
Tis by respect and distance that authority is upheld.
[See No. 3]
9. Reserve; coldness; alienation of heart.
On the part of heaven now alientated, distance and distaste.
10. Remoteness in succession or relation; as the distance between a descendant and his ancestor.
11. In music, the interval between two notes; as the distance of a fourth or seventh.
DISTANCE, v.t.
1. To place remote; to throw off from the view.
2. To leave behind in a race;; to win the race by a great superiority.
3. To leave at a great distance behind.
He distanced the most skillful of his cotemporaries.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the property created by the space between two objects or points
2: a distant region; "I could see it in the distance"
3: size of the gap between two places; "the distance from New York to Chicago"; "he determined the length of the shortest line segment joining the two points" [syn: distance, length]
4: indifference by personal withdrawal; "emotional distance" [syn: distance, aloofness]
5: the interval between two times; "the distance from birth to death"; "it all happened in the space of 10 minutes" [syn: distance, space]
6: a remote point in time; "if that happens it will be at some distance in the future"; "at a distance of ten years he had forgotten many of the details" v
1: keep at a distance; "we have to distance ourselves from these events in order to continue living"
2: go far ahead of; "He outdistanced the other runners" [syn: outdistance, outstrip, distance]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Date: 14th century 1. obsolete discord 2. a. separation in time b. the degree or amount of separation between two points, lines, surfaces, or objects c. (1) an extent of area or an advance along a route measured linearly (2) an extent of space measured other than linearly <within walking distance> d. an extent of advance from a beginning e. expanse f. (1) length of a race or contest <won at all distances> (2) the full length (as of a prizefight or ball game) (3) a long race <distance training> 3. the quality or state of being distant: as a. spatial remoteness b. personal and especially emotional separation; also reserve, coldness c. difference, disparity 4. a distant point or region 5. a. aesthetic distance b. capacity to observe dispassionately II. transitive verb (distanced; distancing) Date: 1578 1. to place or keep at a distance <able to distance themselves from the tragedy> <distances herself from her coworkers> 2. to leave far behind ; outstrip <easily distanced the other candidates in the race> III. adjective Date: 1972 taking place via electronic media linking instructors and students who are not together in a classroom <distance learning> <distance education>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 the condition of being far off; remoteness. 2 a a space or interval between two things. b the length of this (a distance of twenty miles). 3 a distant point or place (came from a distance). 4 the avoidance of familiarity; aloofness; reserve (there was a certain distance between them). 5 a remoter field of vision (saw him in the distance). 6 an interval of time (can't remember what happened at this distance). 7 a the full length of a race etc. b Brit. Racing a length of 240 yards from the winning-post on a racecourse. c Boxing the scheduled length of a fight. --v.tr. (often refl.) 1 place far off (distanced herself from them; distanced the painful memory). 2 leave far behind in a race or competition. Phrases and idioms: at a distance far off. distance-post Racing a post at the distance on a racecourse, used to disqualify runners who have not reached it by the end of the race. distance runner an athlete who competes in long- or middle-distance races. go the distance 1 Boxing complete a fight without being knocked out. 2 complete, esp. a hard task; endure an ordeal. keep one's distance maintain one's reserve. middle distance the part of a landscape or painting between the foreground and the furthest part. within hailing (or walking) distance near enough to reach by hailing or walking. Etymology: ME f. OF distance, destance f. L distantia f. distare stand apart (as DI-(2), stare stand)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Distance Dis"tance, n. [F. distance, L. distantia.] 1. The space between two objects; the length of a line, especially the shortest line joining two points or things that are separate; measure of separation in place. Every particle attracts every other with a force . . . inversely proportioned to the square of the distance. --Sir I. Newton. 2. Remoteness of place; a remote place. Easily managed from a distance. --W. Irving. 'T is distance lends enchantment to the view. --T. Campbell. [He] waits at distance till he hears from Cato. --Addison.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Distance Dis"tance, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Distanced; p. pr. & vb. n. Distancing.] 1. To place at a distance or remotely. I heard nothing thereof at Oxford, being then miles distanced thence. --Fuller. 2. To cause to appear as if at a distance; to make seem remote. His peculiar art of distancing an object to aggrandize his space. --H. Miller. 3. To outstrip by as much as a distance (see Distance, n., 3); to leave far behind; to surpass greatly. He distanced the most skillful of his contemporaries. --Milner.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(distances, distancing, distanced) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. The distance between two points or places is the amount of space between them. ...the distance between the island and the nearby shore... Everything is within walking distance... N-VAR: with supp, oft N between pl-n 2. When two things are very far apart, you talk about the distance between them. The distance wouldn't be a problem. 3. Distance learning or distance education involves studying at home and sending your work to a college or university, rather than attending the college or university in person. I'm doing a theology degree by distance learning. ADJ: ADJ n 4. When you want to emphasize that two people or things do not have a close relationship or are not the same, you can refer to the distance between them. There was a vast distance between psychological clues and concrete proof... N-UNCOUNT: usu N between pl-n [emphasis] 5. If you can see something in the distance, you can see it, far away from you. We suddenly saw her in the distance... N-SING: in/into the N 6. Distance is coolness or unfriendliness in the way that someone behaves towards you. (FORMAL) There were periods of sulking, of pronounced distance, of coldness. ? closeness N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp 7. If you distance yourself from a person or thing, or if something distances you from them, you feel less friendly or positive towards them, or become less involved with them. The author distanced himself from some of the comments in his book... Television may actually be distancing the public from the war. VERB: V pron-refl from n, V n from n • distanced Clough felt he'd become too distanced from his fans. ADJ: v-link ADJ, usu ADJ from n 8. If you are at a distance from something, or if you see it or remember it from a distance, you are a long way away from it in space or time. The only way I can cope with my mother is at a distance... Now I can look back on the whole tragedy from a distance of forty years. PHRASE: PHR after v, v-link PHR 9. If you keep your distance from someone or something or keep them at a distance, you do not become involved with them. Jay had always tended to keep his girlfriends at a distance. PHRASE: V inflects 10. If you keep your distance from someone or something, you do not get physically close to them. (OLD-FASHIONED) He walked towards the doorway, careful to keep his distance. PHRASE: V inflects

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Remoteness. 2. Degree of remoteness or removal. 3. Remote region, distant quarter. 4. Interval, space, space intervening. 5. Reserve, coldness, stiffness, distant behavior, frigidity. II. v. a. Outdo, surpass, excel, outstrip, leave behind.

Moby Thesaurus

aloofness, ambit, amplitude, angle, area, arena, back, backdrop, background, backwardness, base, bashfulness, blankness, breadth, chill, chilliness, coldness, compass, constraint, coolness, detach, detachment, difference, disassociate, discreetness, discretion, dissemblance, dissimilitude, dissociate, distinction, divergence, divergency, expansion, expressionlessness, extension, extent, field, footage, footing, frigidity, frostiness, gap, get ahead of, ground, guardedness, haughtiness, hauteur, hinterland, hold the field, iciness, impassiveness, impassivity, impersonality, inaccessibility, infinity, interval, introversion, leave behind, length, lengthiness, linear measures, locale, long time, longitude, longness, measure, mileage, mise-en-scene, modesty, offishness, orbit, otherness, outdistance, outpace, outrun, overall length, overpass, pass, perpetuity, perspective, piece, post, purview, radius, range, reach, rear, remoteness, repression, reserve, reservedness, restraint, reticence, reticency, retirement, rigidity, scene, scope, seat, separate, setting, shoot ahead of, size, space, span, spell, spread, stage, stage set, stage setting, stand, standing, standoffishness, station, status, steal a march, stiffness, stretch, subduedness, suppression, surpass, sweep, theater, unaffability, unapproachability, uncongeniality, undemonstrativeness, unexpansiveness, unlikeness, venue, viewpoint, way, ways, withdrawal, withdrawnness, yardage