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distance

n. · v.
US //ˈdɪstəns// UK //dˈɪstəns// dis·tance
  1. 1 amount of space (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    the amount of space between two places, people, or things.

    the linear or geographical interval between two points.

    Example

    The distance between my house and the office is about five miles.

    Example

    The total distance covered during the marathon was precisely 42.195 kilometres, winding through the city's historic districts.
    Pitfall
    The distance of London to Paris is short.
    The distance from London to Paris is short.

    Use 'from... to' or 'between' when describing the space between two specific locations.

  2. 2 a far-off place (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    a place that is far away from where you are.

    a remote or far-off point in space, often used in the phrases 'in the distance' or 'from a distance'.

    Example

    I could see the mountains in the distance, covered in white snow.

    Example

    From a distance, the ancient ruins appeared as nothing more than jagged teeth against the darkening sky.
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  1. 3 emotional coldness (n.)
    C1 Advanced Formal

    a feeling of not being friendly or close to someone.

    a state of emotional or social separation; a lack of intimacy or friendliness.

    Example

    There was a strange distance between the two brothers after their big argument.

    Example

    Despite their professional collaboration, a palpable distance remained between the two scientists, rooted in a long-standing academic rivalry.
  2. 4 to separate yourself (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to move away from someone or to stop being involved with an idea or group.

    to create a physical or metaphorical separation; often used reflexively to disassociate from a person, group, or ideology.

    Example

    The politician tried to distance himself from the scandal as soon as it broke.

    Example

    The company sought to distance itself from the controversial remarks made by its former CEO during the press conference.

    Usage

    Often used with the preposition 'from'.
  3. 5 to outrun (v.)
    C1 Advanced Literary Sport

    to move much faster than others in a race so you are far ahead.

    to outpace or leave other competitors behind by a significant margin.

    Example

    The lead runner began to distance the rest of the group in the final lap.

    Example

    By the halfway mark, the champion had effectively distanced the field, leaving the other sprinters to compete for second place.
Origin

From Middle English distance, distaunce, destance (“disagreement, dispute; discrimination; armed conflict; hostility; trouble; space between two points; time interval”), from Anglo-Norman distance, distaunce, destance, Middle French distance, and Old French destance, destaunce, distaunce (“debate; difference, distinction; discord, quarrel; dispute; space between two points; time interval”) (modern French distance), and directly from their etymon Latin distantia (“difference, diversity; distance, remoteness; space between two points”) (whence also Late Latin distantia (“disagreement; discrepancy; gap, opening; time interval”)), from distāns (“being distant; standing apart”) + -ia (suffix forming feminine abstract nouns). Distāns is the present active participle of distō (“to be distant; to stand apart; to differ”), from dis- (prefix meaning ‘apart, asunder; in two’) + stō (“to stand”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“to stand (up)”)). The verb is derived from the noun. Cognates * Middle Dutch distancie, distantie (modern Dutch distantie); Dutch afstand (“distance”, literally “off-stand, off-stance”) * German Distanz; German Abstand * Italian distanza * Portuguese distância * Spanish distancia

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