/ ˈdɪstəns; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
[ C , U ] the amount of space between two places or things :
a short / long distance
the distance of the earth from the sun
a distance of 200 kilometres
What's the distance between New York City and Boston / from New York City to Boston?
In the US, distance is measured in miles.
The beach is within walking distance of my house (= you can walk there easily) .
Paul has to drive very long distances as part of his job.
Our parents live some distance away (= quite far away) .
—see also long-distance , middle distance , outdistance
2.
[ U ] being far away in space or in time :
Distance is no problem on the Internet.
3.
[ sing. ] a point that is a particular amount of space away from sth else :
You'll never get the ball in from that distance.
4.
[ C , usually sing. , U ] a difference or lack of a connection between two things :
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) .
( BrE )
Eddie is, by some distance (= by a great amount) , the funniest character in the show.
5.
[ U , C ] 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.
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IDIOMS
- at / from a distance
- go the (full) distance
- in / into the distance
- keep sb at a distance
- keep your distance (from sb/sth)
—more at shouting , spit verb , strike verb
■ verb
[ vn ] distance yourself / sb / sth (from sb/sth) to become, or to make sb/sth become, less involved or connected with sb/sth :
When he retired, he tried to distance himself from politics.
It's not always easy for nurses to distance themselves emotionally.
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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.