distance
distance
noun
OPAL W
/ˈdɪstəns/
1 countable, uncountable the amount of space between two places or things
a short/long distance
Paul has to drive very long distances as part of his job.
a distance of something to travel/cover a distance of 200 kilometres
distance to something She walked the short distance to her apartment.
distance from something Once she was a safe distance from the shop, Gina stopped.
distance of A from B the distance of the earth from the sun
distance from A to B What’s the distance from New York City to Boston?
distance between A and B What’s the distance between New York City and Boston?
over a distance (of something) The wind carries pollen over considerable distances.
within… distance (of something) The beach is within walking distance of my house (= you can walk there easily).
The house is within easy commuting distance of town.
In the US, distance is measured in miles.
distance away Our parents live some distance away (= quite far away).
a distance (= long-distance) runner/swimmer
SEE ALSO long-distance, middle distance, outdistance
Collocations Dictionary
adjective
considerableenormousfair…
verb + distance
covercrossgo…
distance + noun
runnerswimmerrunning…
preposition
at a distanceat a distance fromat a distance of…
phrases
a… distance ahead, away, apart, etc.some distance ahead, away, apart, etc.within commuting distance
2 uncountable being far away in space or in time
Distance is no problem on the internet.
They don't see their family because of geographical distance.
distance between A and B The car put physical distance between people and their places of work.
SEE ALSO social distance
Collocations Dictionary
adjective
farmiddle
verb + distance
gaze (off) intolook (off) intostare (off) into…
distance + noun
educationlearningvision…
preposition
at a distancefrom a distancein the distance…
3 singular a point that is a particular amount of space away from something else
from a distance You'll never get the ball in from that distance.
The cat sat and watched us from a safe distance.
from a distance Visitors can only view the painting from a distance of three metres.
at a distance She followed them at a discreet distance.
at a distance of something A digital camera was positioned at a distance of 1.5 metres from the subject.
4 ​countable, usually singular, uncountable a difference or lack of a connection between two things
distance between A and B 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).
distance from something Sociologists must maintain critical distance from the ideas of society at any particular time.
(British English) Eddie is, by some distance (= by a great amount), the funniest character in the show.
Collocations Dictionary
adjective
criticalprofessionalemotional…
verb + distance
keepmaintain
preposition
distance from
phrases
a sense of distance
5 ​uncountable, countable a situation in which there is a lack of friendly feelings or of a close relationship between two people or groups of people
The coldness and distance in her voice took me by surprise.
distance between A and B There was a growing distance between the two sides of the family.
He worried about the increasing distance between his children and himself.
distance from somebody/something He felt a sense of distance from the others.
Idioms
at/from a distance
​from a place or time that is not near; from far away
She had loved him at a distance for years.
Extra Examples
go the (full) distance
​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.
in/into the distance
​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.
Extra Examples
keep somebody at a distance
​to refuse to be friendly with somebody; to not let somebody be friendly towards you
The manager prefers to keep employees at a distance.
keep your distance (from somebody/something)
​to make sure you are not too near somebody/something
​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.
within touching distance (of something)
(British English also within spitting distance)
(also within shouting distance especially in North American English)
​(informal) very close
We came within touching distance of winning the cup.
We live within spitting distance of the bus station.
distance 2
verb (distances, distanced, distanced, distancing)
/ˈdɪstəns/
1 ​to become less involved or connected with somebody/something
distance yourself from somebody/something When he retired, he tried to distance himself from politics.
The company has tried to distance itself from the remarks made by some of its employees.
distance yourself It's not always easy for nurses to distance themselves emotionally.
SEE ALSO social distancing
2 ​distance somebody/something from somebody/something to make somebody/something less involved or connected with somebody/something
Her mother wished to distance her from the rough village children.
These narrative techniques actually distance the reader from the story.
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’.