INDEX:
1. the distance between one place or point and another
2. to continue for a particular distance
RELATED WORDS
a long distance : ↑ FAR
a short distance : ↑ NEAR
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1. the distance between one place or point and another
▷ distance /ˈdɪstəns/ [countable/uncountable noun]
how far it is from one place to another :
distance from something to something
▪ What is the distance from New York to Miami?
the distance between something and something
▪ Measure the distance between the window and the door.
▪ the distance between the earth and the sun
▷ how far /ˌhaʊ ˈfɑːʳ/ [adverb]
use this to ask what the distance is between where you are and another place :
▪ ‘How far is Newark?’ ‘It’s about 200 miles.’
how far is it to...?
▪ How far is it to the nearest gas station?
▷ from /frəm, strong frɒmǁfrəm, strong frʌm, frɑːm/ [preposition]
if one place is 10 kilometres/30 miles/20 minutes etc from another place, that is the distance between the two places, or the time it takes to get from one to the other :
▪ Seattle is about 100 miles from the Canadian border.
▪ The junior high school is five minutes from our house.
▪ She was standing just a couple of metres from the edge of the cliff.
▷ away /əˈweɪ/ [adverb]
if a place or person is 10 kilometres/30 miles/20 minutes etc away, they are that distance from where you are, or it takes that amount of time to travel there :
▪ The nearest village was about 20 miles away.
▪ Toronto’s only about an hour and a half away by car.
away from
▪ The station is about two miles away from the city centre.
▪ He was standing three metres away from the bomb when it exploded.
▷ off /ɒfǁɔːf/ [adverb]
if something is 10 kilometres/30 metres etc off, that is how far it is from you or from the place you are talking about :
▪ The nearest town is fifteen kilometres off.
▪ The robbers must be a long way off by now.
▪ We were still several miles off, but you could already see a glow in the sky from the lights of the city.
▷ apart /əˈpɑːʳt/ [adverb]
if two places, objects, or people are three miles, two centimetres etc apart, that is the distance between them :
▪ The seeds should be planted a few inches apart.
▪ The two towns are fifteen miles apart.
▪ We were standing a few feet apart from each other.
well apart
wide apart
▪ Stand on the skis with your feet well apart.
far apart
a long way apart
▪ The National Weather Service is forecasting snow in cities as far apart as Atlanta, Boston, and Cleveland.
▷ a long/short way /ə ˌlɒŋ, ˌʃɔːʳt ˈweɪǁ-ˌlɔːŋ-/
use this to say how far one place is from another or from where you are :
a long/short way from
▪ California is a long way from Georgia.
▪ Only a short way from the buildings is the impressive entrance to Bruntscar Cave.
a long/short way away
▪ Oxford is just a short way away. You can make the drive in under an hour.
2. to continue for a particular distance
▷ extend/stretch /ɪkˈstend, stretʃ/ [intransitive verb]
to continue over a particular distance, especially a long distance :
extend/stretch around/over/through etc
▪ The desert stretches over five different countries.
▪ From the corner of the terrace the path extended down to the sea.
stretch from something to something
▪ The valley stretches from Vassai in the north to Momere in the southwest.
extend/stretch for
▪ The estuary stretches for over 100 miles.
▷ range /reɪndʒ/ [countable/uncountable noun]
the distance that something can travel over or reach :
range of
▪ The rockets have a range of 4000 km.
▪ A typical radio signal has a range of about 100 miles.
within range
at a distance that is less than the range
▪ As soon as the tanks came within range, the soldiers opened fire.
out of range
at a distance greater than the range
▪ The enemy were just out of range of our cannon.
▪ The demonstrators were hurling rocks but the police stayed out of range.