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Distance ˈdɪstəns York City Friendly What’s Space House

Word distance
WordType (noun)
Phonetic BrE / ˈdɪstəns / NAmE / ˈdɪstəns /
Example
  • a short/long distance
  • the distance of the earth from the sun
  • a distance of 200 kilometres
  • what’s the distance between new york city and boston/from new york city to boston?
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Content

distance

(noun)BrE / ˈdɪstəns / NAmE / ˈdɪstəns /
  1. the amount of space between two places or things
    • see also long-distance
      https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/long-distance_2
    • a short/long distance
    • the distance of the earth from the sun
    • a distance of 200 kilometres
    • What’s the distance between New York City and Boston/from New York City to Boston?
    • In the US, distance is measured in miles.
    • The beach is within walking distance of my house (= you can walk there easily).
    • Paul has to drive very long distances as part of his job.
    • Our parents live some distance away (= quite far away).
  2. being far away in space or in time
    • Distance is no problem on the Internet.
  3. a point that is a particular amount of space away from something else
    • You'll never get the ball in from that distance.
  4. a difference or lack of a connection between two things
    • The distance between fashion and art remains as great as ever.
    • The government is keen to put some distance between itself and these events (= show that there is no connection between them).
    • Eddie is, by some distance (= by a great amount), the funniest character in the show.
  5. a situation in which there is a lack of friendly feelings or of a close relationship between two people or groups of people
    • There was a growing distance between the two sides of the family.
    • The coldness and distance in her voice took me by surprise.
  6. from a place or time that is not near; from far away
    • She had loved him at a distance for years.
  7. to continue playing in a competition or sports contest until the end
    • Nobody thought he would last 15 rounds, but he went the full distance.
  8. far away but still able to be seen or heard
    • We saw lights in the distance.
    • Alice stood staring into the distance.
    • Five miles of sand stretched away into the distance.
  9. to refuse to be friendly with somebody; to not let somebody be friendly towards you
    • The manager prefers to keep employees at a distance.
  10. to make sure you are not too near somebody/something
  11. to avoid getting too friendly or involved with a person, group, etc.
    • She was warned to keep her distance from Charles if she didn't want to get hurt.
  12. very close
  13. very close
    • We live within spitting distance of the bus station.
  14. near enough to be reached or attacked easily; near enough to reach or attack something easily
    • The beach is within striking distance.
    • The cat was now within striking distance of the duck.

    Extra Examples

    • Allow for greater braking distances when pulling a loaded trailer.
    • At a distance it is difficult to make out the detail on the building.
    • He felt a sense of distance from the others.
    • He moved a short distance up the valley.
    • He was gradually closing the distance between himself and the other runners.
    • I could just see the hills in the far distance.
    • I kept a comfortable distance behind the van.
    • In the distance was a small town.
    • It is very difficult to judge distances in the desert.
    • It’s quite a good distance to the nearest town.
    • Nobody thought he would last 15 rounds but he went the full distance.
    • She followed them at a discreet distance.
    • She sprinted the entire distance.
    • Sociologists must maintain critical distance from the ideas of society at any particular time.
    • The Open University offers a wide range of distance learning programmes.
    • The arch spans a distance of 285 feet.
    • The bars are within walking distance.
    • The cat sat and watched us from a safe distance.
    • The cat was now within striking distance of the duck.
    • The house is a short distance away from the bus station.
    • The leaders in the race were a considerable distance ahead.
    • The moors stretched away into the blue distance.
    • The people travel vast distances to find food.
    • The road stretches off into the distance.
    • The sound can be heard over a distance of more than five miles.
    • The spacecraft has the ability to traverse great distances.
    • The town is a considerable distance from the coast.
    • The town is situated at a distance of twenty miles from Oxford.
    • The young birds were soon flying distances of 200 feet or more.
    • These immigrants face problems of geographical distance and cultural isolation.
    • These immigrants face problems of physical distance.
    • Visitors can only view the painting from a distance of three metres.
    • We admired the palace from a distance.
    • We came within spitting distance of winning the cup.
    • What’s the distance between London and Edinburgh?
    • When launching a kick it is essential to be at the correct distance from your opponent.
    • a champion distance swimmer
    • a long-distance runner
    • children living within a certain distance of the school
    • the average distance covered during pursuits by cheetahs
    • the distance from our house to the school
    • to have good distance vision
    • He worried about the increasing distance between his children and himself.

    Word Origin

    • Middle English (in the sense ‘discord, debate’): from Old French or from Latin distantia, from distant- ‘standing apart’, from the verb distare, from dis- ‘apart’ + stare ‘stand’.
Copyright This card's content is collected from the following dictionaries: Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

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