I. dis ‧ tance 1 S2 W2 /ˈdɪstəns/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: verb : ↑ distance ; noun : ↑ distance ; adverb : ↑ distantly ; adjective : ↑ distant ]
1 . AMOUNT OF SPACE [uncountable and countable] the amount of space between two places or things
distance from/between
the distance from Chicago to Detroit
Measure the distance between the two points.
The cottage is some distance (=quite a long distance) from the road.
at a distance of 2 feet/10 metres etc
A shark can smell blood at a distance of half a kilometer.
REGISTER
In everyday English, when talking about how far something is, people often use an expression such as how far or a long/short way rather than the noun distance :
▪ What is the distance from Chicago to Detroit? ➔ How far is it from Chicago to Detroit?
▪ | The cottage is some distance from the road. ➔ The cottage is a long way from the road.
2 . FAR AWAY [singular] used to talk about a situation when something is far away from you in space or time
in the distance
Church bells rang in the distance (=they were far away) .
at/from a distance
We watched from a distance.
3 . UNFRIENDLY FEELING [singular] a situation in which two people do not have a close friendly relationship
distance between
There was still a distance between me and my father.
4 . keep your distance
a) to stay far enough away from someone or something to be safe:
A lighthouse on the cliff warns ships to keep their distance.
b) ( also keep somebody at a distance ) to avoid becoming too friendly with someone:
The neighbours tend to keep their distance.
5 . go the (full) distance informal to finish something you have started:
Do you think Greg will go the distance this time?
⇨ ↑ long-distance , ↑ middle distance
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
▪ a long/great/considerable distance
The sound of guns seemed a long distance away.
▪ a short distance
I quickly walked the short distance to the car.
▪ a safe distance (=enough space to be safe)
You should keep a safe distance from the car in front.
▪ some distance (=quite a long distance)
He heard a scream some distance away.
▪ vast distances
The aircraft is able to carry huge loads over vast distances.
▪ the stopping/braking distance (=how far you travel in a car after pressing the brakes)
What’s the stopping distance at 30 miles an hour?
■ verbs
▪ travel a great/long etc distance
In some countries children must travel great distances to school each day.
▪ measure the distance between things
Now we are able to measure the distances between the planets.
▪ judge distances (=judge how much space there is between things)
Animals that hunt can judge distances very well.
■ phrases
▪ within (easy) walking distance (=near enough to walk to easily)
There are lots of restaurants within walking distance.
▪ within travelling/commuting/driving distance of something (=near enough to make travel to or from a place possible)
The job was not within travelling distance of my home.
▪ within striking distance of something (=not far from something, especially something you are going to attack)
Their troops had advanced to within striking distance of the town.
▪ within spitting distance informal (=very near something)
The ball passed within spitting distance of the goal.
▪ put some distance between yourself and somebody/something (=go quite a long way from them)
He wanted to put some distance between himself and his pursuers.
II. distance 2 BrE AmE verb
[ Word Family: verb : ↑ distance ; noun : ↑ distance ; adverb : ↑ distantly ; adjective : ↑ distant ]
distance yourself (from something) to say that you are not involved with someone or something, especially to avoid being connected with them:
The UNO has firmly distanced itself from the anti-government movement.