SPACE


Meaning of SPACE in English

/ speɪs; NAmE / noun , verb

■ noun

EMPTY AREA

1.

[ U ] an amount of an area or of a place that is empty or that is available for use

SYN room :

floor / office / shelf, etc. space

We must make good use of the available space.

That desk takes up too much space .

There is very little storage space in the department.

Can we make space for an extra chair?

How much disk space will it take up? (= on a computer)

2.

[ C ] an area or a place that is empty :

a large / small / narrow / wide space

a space two metres by three metres

a parking space

crowded together in a confined space

I'll clear a space for your books.

Put it in the space between the table and the wall.

3.

[ U ] the quality of being large and empty, allowing you to move freely

SYN spaciousness :

The room has been furnished and decorated to give a feeling of space.

4.

[ C , U ] a large area of land that has no buildings on it :

the wide open spaces of the Canadian prairies

It's a city with fine buildings and plenty of open space .

➡ note at land

OUTSIDE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE

5.

(also ˌouter ˈspace ) [ U ] the area outside the earth's atmosphere where all the other planets and stars are :

the first woman in space

the possibility of visitors from outer space

a space flight / mission

PERIOD OF TIME

6.

[ C , usually sing. ] a period of time :

Forty-four people died in the space of five days.

They had achieved a lot in a short space of time .

Leave a space of two weeks between appointments.

IN WRITING / PRINTING

7.

[ U , C ] the part of a line, page or document that is empty :

Don't waste space by leaving a wide margin.

There was not enough space to print all the letters we received.

Leave a space after the comma.

FREEDOM

8.

[ U ] the freedom and the time to think or do what you want to :

She was upset and needed space .

You have to give teenagers plenty of space .

—see also breathing space

WHERE THINGS EXIST / MOVE

9.

[ U ] the whole area in which all things exist and move :

It is quite possible that space and time are finite.

IDIOMS

- look / stare / gaze into space

—more at waste noun , watch verb

■ verb

[ vn , usually + adv. / prep. ] [ often passive ] to arrange things so that they have regular spaces between them :

evenly spaced plants

a row of closely spaced dots

Space the posts about a metre apart.

PHRASAL VERBS

- space out

- space sth out

••

WORD ORIGIN

Middle English : shortening of Old French espace , from Latin spatium . Current verb senses date from the late 17th cent.

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.