distance1 noundistance2 verb
distancedis‧tance1 /ˈdɪstəns/ ●●● S2 W2 noun 
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Measure the distance between the window and the door.
- Now that there's some distance between us and the accident, it's easier to talk about.
- the distance between the earth and the sun
- What is the distance from New York to Miami?
- A distance that a bird could cover in an hour might require a week to negotiate.
- At the top end of the paddock Arkle haughtily stares into the distance.
- It is still possible to trace its water courses, some distance from Awre, close to Hall Farm.
- Maskelyne took up, then embraced, then came to personify the lunar distance method.
- She often asked me about the hills in the distance, beyond the moors, and wanted to ride her pony there.
- The result is that their high social mobility does not entail high levels of long distance spatial mobility.
- We watched him closely from a distance.
Longman Language Activatorthe distance between one place or point and another
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
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
to continue for a particular distance 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.
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.
when something you can see or hear is far away if you can see or hear something in the distance , it is a long way from where you are, so it looks small or does not sound loud: · In the distance, he could see the tall chimneys of the factory.· Dogs were barking somewhere in the distance.
especially written a distant thing or noise is very far away, so that it looks small or sounds quiet: · By now, the plane was just a distant speck in the sky.· There was a flash of lightning and then the rumble of distant thunder.
at the place far away where the land or sea seems to meet the sky: · Another ship appeared on the horizon.· Storm clouds on the horizon were rapidly blowing in our direction.
from a place that is a fairly long way away: · From a distance, the two birds look similar.· He followed her at a distance, making sure she didn't see him.
in a place very far from where you are now, so that it is difficult to see or hear what is there: · Then, from a long way off, I heard high-pitched laughing.· There was a sound of a car backfiring far off in the night.· Far away, to the east, you can just see the spire of the cathedral.
American far from where you are: · He could hear voices from way off in another part of the house.· Way off in the distance I could see a light shining.
if you do something at long range , especially shoot someone or something, you do it from far away: · The police officer fired one shot at long range and hit the man.· The guns are not nearly as accurate at long range.
a long distance a long distance - use this especially in negatives and questions: · Have you driven far?· We won't be able to go much farther because of the snow.· Who do you think can jump the farthest?far from: · Cleveland isn't very far from here.· We were sitting too far from the stage to hear what the actors were saying.far above/below/behind etc: · I was now far behind the others and knew I couldn't catch up.
a very long distance from where you are: · The ship was so far away that we could hardly see it.far away from: · She wanted to get as far away from New York as possible.as far away as something: · Because of the snowstorm on the east coast, flights for Boston were sent as far away as Montreal.from far away: · Thousands of people had come from far away for a chance to see the Pope.
also a long ways American spoken a long distance: · You must be tired - you've come a long way.a long way from: · The farm is a long way from the highway.a long way away/a long way off (=a long way from where you are now or from the place you are talking about): · We could hear them shouting from a long way away.· From the map, it looked as if the lake was still a long way off.a long way ahead/below/behind etc: · It's a long way down - hold on tight.
British also quite a ways American spoken fairly far, used especially to warn someone that a distance is longer than they think: · Look at the map. It's a fair way to drive in one day.· The children will have to walk quite a way if we take them into the woods.
further than usual or further than you expected: · José accompanied us for some distance until we reached the highway.· Their house is actually quite a distance from the edge of town.
informal a very long way: · We hiked miles yesterday.miles away: · I don't see Jane much any more - she lives miles away.miles from: · The hotel is miles from the station - I'll come and get you.miles from anywhere (=a long way from the nearest town): · They live up in the mountains, miles from anywhere.miles and miles: · Around here you can walk miles and miles and never see anyone.
a very long way from somewhere, further than you expect to be, or further than someone else says you are: · The car was parked in the middle of the street, nowhere near the curb.· After eight hours climbing, we were still nowhere near the top of the mountain.
formal if you travel far afield , you travel a very long way from the place where you usually live: · With the car they could travel far afield each summer.as far afield as something: · His work took him as far afield as Moscow and Delhi.further/farther afield: · The next day we ventured farther afield and sailed out to one of the islands.
not far away only a short distance from a person, place, or thing: · We camped in a forest near a large lake.· Don't go near the fire.· Have you ever been to Versailles? It's near Paris.· The place where we were going was much nearer than I thought.near enough to do something: · Bob was standing near enough to hear what they were saying.nearer to something/nearest to something: · If we moved to Dallas we'd be nearer to my parents.· Only the people who were nearest to the speaker could actually hear what he said.near here: · The accident happened somewhere near here.
very near to something or someone, or almost touching them: · As we approached Abbeville, the gunfire sounded very close.close to: · Don't drive so close to the edge of the road.close behind/beside: · Suddenly we heard footsteps close behind us.close together: · The houses were built very close together, and the gardens were rather small.· Nancy came over and sat close beside me on the bed.close by (=near where you are): · Is there a gas station close by?
used to say that something is quite near something or someone: a short distance away: · I'd parked my car a short distance away, just around the corner.a short distance from: · Harvard University is only a short distance from the center of Boston.a short distance to the south/north etc: · The source of the river is a short distance to the south of here.
not a very long distance away - use this about somewhere that is near enough to be easy to get to: · "How far's the station?" "Oh, not far - about ten minutes by car."not far from: · Asti is not far from the French border.not far away: · Our hotel was in the centre of town but the beach wasn't far away.
near the place where you are or the place you are talking about: · Dave, who was sitting nearby, laughed when he heard this.· The house is really nice, and a lot of my friends live nearby.· It was very convenient having the garage nearby.
British /neighboring American a neighbouring country, town, area etc is near the place where you are or the place you are talking about: · The fair attracted thousands of people from neighbouring areas.· Soldiers and firemen from 13 neighboring towns wrestled with the blaze for hours.
formal in the area around and near a particular place: · A white van was seen in the vicinity at about the time when the murder took place.in the vicinity of: · In the past ten years there have been more cases of cancer in the vicinity of nuclear installations.
easy to get to if a place is within walking distance , it is not far away, and you can walk there easily: · There are several good restaurants within walking distance.within walking/driving etc distance of: · Dr Goldthorpe lived within walking distance of the University.within easy walking etc distance (of something): · Fortunately the house that we were renting was within easy driving distance of the shops.
near enough to a town or place for you to get there without too much difficulty: within reach of: · It was just lucky that we were within reach of a hospital.within easy reach (=near enough to get to easily): · Around Salzburg there are literally dozens of exciting places to visit -- all within easy reach.
British also convenient to something American if your home, office etc is convenient for or handy for a particular place, that place is near it and easy to reach: · The place where we live now is very convenient for the school - it's only a couple of minutes on foot.· My husband works in London so we're looking for a house that's handy for the station. · We found an apartment convenient to campus and public transportation.
also round the corner British not far away, especially in the streets of a town: · "Is there a bank near here?" "Sure, it's just around the corner."· She won't be long, she's only gone round the corner.around the corner from: · We met in a bar just around the corner from my apartment.
if a building or person is close at hand , they are very near and therefore available in case you need them: · The Exhibition Centre is a great day out, with plenty of parking and all the attractions of Manchester close at hand.· I'm very glad that, when my children were small, my mother was always close at hand.
if you say it's no distance , you mean that a place is not far away and is therefore easy to get to: · We come up here regularly from London; it's no distance. it's no distance from: · It's no distance from here to Fifth Avenue. We can easily walk it.
if one place is a stone's throw from another place, it is only a very short distance from it, so that it is easy to get to: · I was born in Wembley, a stone's throw from the football stadium!only a stone's throw from something: · Stanford Hospital is only a stone's throw from where I live.within a stone's throw of something: · The river's within a stone's throw of our apartment - we can see it from the window.
to not go near to a person or place · You'd better not come near me. I've got a bad cold.· People didn't go anywhere near the place at night. They were frightened of ghosts.· Don't go too near the fire!
to never go near something or someone or to not go near them during a period of time, especially in order to avoid danger or trouble: · Stay away from the edge of the cliff.stay/keep well away from something/somebody: · If I were you I'd keep well away from him. He doesn't have a good reputation.
to not go too close to someone or something, especially because it might be dangerous or harmful to go near: · Police warned the public to keep their distance if they saw a man fitting this description.keep your distance from: · Stick to the paths, and make sure you keep your distance from nesting birds.
if you tell someone to keep back or stay back , you mean that they should not come nearer, especially because of possible danger: · Keep back, everyone! The tree may come down at any moment.keep/stay well back: · She lit the bonfire and told the children to stay well back.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYadjectives
The park is within easy walking distance (=close enough to walk to). We watched from a safe distance. Drivers should keep a safe distance from the car in front. Carol’s office was only a short distance away, and she decided that she would walk there. We must have walked ten miles today. I walked all the way to San Rafael.
· The sound of guns seemed a long distance away.
· I quickly walked the short distance to the car.
(=enough space to be safe)· You should keep a safe distance from the car in front.
(=quite a long distance)· He heard a scream some distance away.
· The aircraft is able to carry huge loads over vast distances.
(=how far you travel in a car after pressing the brakes)· What’s the stopping distance at 30 miles an hour?
verbs· In some countries children must travel great distances to school each day.
· Now we are able to measure the distances between the planets.
(=judge how much space there is between things)· Animals that hunt can judge distances very well.
phrases (=near enough to walk to easily)· There are lots of restaurants within walking distance.
(=near enough to make travel to or from a place possible)· The job was not within travelling distance of my home.
(=not far from something, especially something you are going to attack)· Their troops had advanced to within striking distance of the town.
informal (=very near something)· The ball passed within spitting distance of the goal.
(=go quite a long way from them)· He wanted to put some distance between himself and his pursuers.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES· I’d like to make a long-distance call.
· The fare increases will be bad news for long-distance commuters.
The park is within easy walking distance (=close enough to walk to). (=for seeing things that are not close to you)· Without her distance glasses she couldn’t see his expression.
We watched from a safe distance. Drivers should keep a safe distance from the car in front. Carol’s office was only a short distance away, and she decided that she would walk there.· Long-distance travel is becoming much more common these days.
We must have walked ten miles today. I walked all the way to San Rafael. (=near enough to be able to walk to) There are plenty of bars and restaurants within walking distance of the hotel.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE There are plenty of bars and restaurants within walking distance of the hotel.· This low coverage is, of course, largely due to the considerable distance of much of the population from the nearest registration office.· Women who live in non-metropolitan areas must often travel considerable distances because of the shortage of providers.· The evidence is provided by a number of low scarps which wind for considerable distances across the Mercurian surface.· They dive into the mist and vanish, only to reappear a few minutes later, some considerable distance away.· This relates directly to their ancestry; these short-legged hounds were bred to pursue their quarry by scent over considerable distances.· During this time, they may be carried considerable distances if they are in flowing water.· The bright colours of flowers make them conspicuous from considerable distances.· The swordfish, like the sailfish, will follow a school of fish for a considerable distance before it decides to attack.
· Dinner is not provided but there are many eating establishments within easy walking distance.· It was within easy distance of the lust kiss.· Are friends and relations who can help in illness or emergency within easy distance?· And up this way, in easy hiking distance, the great Knik Glacier.· Kikuyu farmers had traditionally farmed several plots which were within easy walking distance but had different characteristics of altitude and soil type.· It hadn't looked an easy distance before, but now it looked impossible.· Adequate street and multi-storey parking facilities are available within easy walking distance.· During each year of study, work will be undertaken in both departments which are located within easy walking distance of each other.
· The empty dress, a peeling poster of Mae West and in the far distance the Statue of Liberty.· My glassy eyes look past her, past the camera, and past my father, into the far, far distance.· BIn the far distance, the flames licked their way toward the beach like lava coming down the mountainsides.· In the far distance was the blue outline of yet further hills.· The future was no longer somewhere in the far off distance, but here and now.· I find many compositions on hills or high vantage points from where you can see into the far distance.· What I saw was principally field upon field rolling off into the far distance.
· Steve Kemp and I became involved in a marathon match which went the full distance.· You must move the full distance possible.
· As a modern, you located the stars at a great distance.· However, the motion does not remain periodic for any great distance downstream.· Because of this difference, men keep a greater distance from their children.· They also allow us to see whether stone with special properties was transported over greater distances.· They spread her mouth open as if she were screaming a name out over a great distance.· Seen at a great distance off, further than the eye can see.· This is particularly important in education, because many parents do not want their children traveling great distances to school.
· This is because the gravitational forces are appreciable over much larger distances than the non-gravitational forces.· The worker must straddle and stretch across the distances, often very large distances.· In some cases lahars travel large distances and form thick deposits up to tens of metres deep.· During that time continents, oceans, and mountain chains have moved horizontally and vertically through large distances.· The sequence adjacent to the insertion site is very well conserved over large evolutionary distances such as between fungi, algae and bacteria.· The entire physical universe in this conception was only a few times larger than the distance from Earth to the Moon.· There is however a very large distance between these long-run theoretical considerations and empirical implementation.· In addition a sky wave is reflected back to earth over large distances.
· Over long distances this adds up to thousands of pounds of pressure on your limbs and joints.· The Communications Ministry said last month national and international long-distance markets would be open to competition this December.· To cover a longer distance a technique known as double-stepping is employed.· Ericson reckons that well-heeled long-distance companies such as AT&.· But longer distance homing must require other techniques.· Like the rest of Britain's many great long distance runners Zarei has this ability to ignore the pain and keep going.· Driving long distances has taken a vicious toll.
· No longer was it a plan calmly discussed from a safe distance.· But not all eavesdropping can be accomplished at such a safe distance.· So, from a safe distance, he plucked meanings from the cosmos and wove them together in reassurance.· Radar or vision-based sensors in the front of your car will keep it a safe stopping distance from the car ahead.· She sat down rather stiffly on the grass, being careful to keep a safe distance between them.· The senator fell into step beside me while some of Bonefish's smaller children followed at a safe distance.· Bystanders watch from a safe distance as a doctor and nurses go about their business in front of the hospital entrance.· The best way of avoiding this problem is to ensure that there is a safe distance between the trees and buildings.
· Even within a short distance we can see remarkable changes of thickness.· George was none the less stimulating the cortex, but at another spot, a short distance away from the previous site.· The Leapors' home was probably a short distance from the nursery.· He bailed out at just the right time and floated the short distance to earth in a golden parachute.· The constant switching between long and short distances appears to create myopia.· By 40, I wore a brace on my left leg and used a motorized scooter to cover all but short distances.· Alexei stopped a short distance behind him.· Most chitons are rather sedentary animals, living in one spot and venturing short distances in search of food.
· Social psychologists have conducted thousands of studies about stereotypes of outgroups or desired social distance from outgroup members, etc.· There was less social distance between the rehabilitation staff and patients than between patients and clinicians.· It has also partly reduced the bureaucratization of farms and lessened the social distance between farmers and their workers.· Here there was less social distance between head and staff, though the head accepted the main responsibility for initiating and leading.· There is also an exaggerated demarcation of social distance between ranks, and deferential behavior by subordinate ranks toward superiors.· Our framework for understanding this is, as with social distance, based firmly within the literature of second language learning.· For example the accepted social distance between people can vary, even at the level of physical contact in everyday greetings.
· Kikuyu farmers had traditionally farmed several plots which were within easy walking distance but had different characteristics of altitude and soil type.· Drumnasole is another pretty, secondary glen with a waterfall and is within easy walking distance.· Also comfortable walking distance of the Lanes, theatres, cinemas, and leisure centre.· It was the converted first floor of a large terraced house, within walking distance of the university.· Some sort of teacher was almost always within walking distance of a rural child.· The Old Vic pub and Rockafellas nightclub are within easy walking distance.· Brigade H.Q was just at the entrance to the village with everyone within walking distance of each other.
VERB· To cover a longer distance a technique known as double-stepping is employed.· By 40, I wore a brace on my left leg and used a motorized scooter to cover all but short distances.· He wasn't sure how Creed had covered the distance between the window and the door.· The race includes a ladies' race, the first lady taking about five minutes longer to cover the distance.· Jonathan's walk will cover a distance of about 4,000 miles.· But for a big landscape, a plane is a major advantage because you can cover much greater distances.· Hazel covered the distance down the slope in a few seconds.· Their riders had then to cover long distances on foot, leading their mounts.
· I walk along and she keeps pace and distance.· At first we kept our distance.· She sat down rather stiffly on the grass, being careful to keep a safe distance between them.· It is easy to see it now in the way labor has kept its distance from the plant-closing movement.· Knowing how easily she could erupt, they kept their distance.· But Powell is keeping his distance.· Because of this difference, men keep a greater distance from their children.
· It won't be very accurate in practice, because of difficulty in measuring the distances accurately, but at least it's right.· Then measure the same distance from the outside down, and that will mark where the floor is on the inside.· Have a student use one of the yardsticks to measure the distance. 2.· Both, in their different ways, were measuring the distance between themselves and others.· A laser altimeter will measure the distance to Eros, gradually assembling a detailed topographical map.· Hubble was forced, therefore, to use indirect methods to measure the distances.· Sergeant Ninez was playing with his compass and map, measuring distances and calculating the best route back to Orange.
· Only coal was moved long distances by canals, railways and roads.· Twice they spotted other search boats moving silently in the distance.· Something seemed to move in the distance.· After a while, deciding that discretion was preferable, they moved off some distance into the desert parallel to the road.· This would explain the great effort expended in moving the stones long distances: they had a specific quality and function.· On the roll of a double the Squig moves the distance indicated but in an entirely random direction.· You must move the full distance possible.· This argument is reversed when the load has to move a large distance, because a high operating speed is then required.
· Already she had put a little distance between them!· Ellie had been fighting steadily with Michael, and now decided to put some distance between them.· Wisdom consists in putting some distance between the soul and such destruction.· They all need to put some distance between them-selves and the Vanderbilt humiliation.· The animal loped away, putting more distance between them, then resumed its casual, padding walk along the path.· Some people put a permanent protective distance between themselves and the betrayal.· At every turning point they put a greater distance between each other.· I pulled out of his grip and put some distance between us.
· The warriors always accompany them when they must travel long distances to find green grass.· He travels great distances to see new varieties.· In theory, the light could travel any distance along the fibre.· The albatross may prefer high winds as it can travel huge distances in storms.· The ball travels the distance you have nominated, plus the score of the Artillery dice.· Many readers possess their own forms of transport and are prepared to travel reasonable distances within the authority when requiring material urgently.· This is so that the energy can be made to travel a much greater distance.· We chose to travel a minimum distance and stayed at Shorefield Country Club in southwest Hampshire.
· They had then walked the short distance to Park Lane, her hand in the crook of James's arm.· Their B & B is within walking distance of the art deco Filberg Lodge with its delightful nine-acre park.· She'd walked some distance, judging by her shoes, which were worn to pieces.· On opening day we hunted within walking distance of the cabin.· Why should Ron choose to delay, then take his car instead of walking the short distance to the Red Lion?· An empty apartment within walking distance of the harbour was found for us where we could cook and sleep and wash.· A further consideration was the presence, again within easy walking distance of the site, of the local school.· The Estrada family lives within walking distance of the Minsa plant.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRYPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► a goodish distance/number etc► be within spitting distance (of something)
- Men tend to keep their children at more of a distance than women.
- Police warned the public to keep their distance if they saw a man fitting this description.
- Shots were fired into the air to force the police to keep their distance.
- Stick to the paths, and make sure you keep your distance from nesting birds.
- At first we kept our distance.
- Burgess says such activities increase the danger that sharks will lose the respect for humans that mostly makes them keep their distance.
- I saw him later, standing at a meeting of walls, a shy girl keeping her distance.
- It is easy to see it now in the way labor has kept its distance from the plant-closing movement.
- Over the years I have kept my distance from the white women's movement.
- Ruth kept her distance from him but she could do nothing about the wretched aura that surrounded him.
- Sometimes Fate tiptoes discreetly at the margins of our lives, averting her eyes and keeping her distance.
- Along the way pilots take photographs of certain landmarks to prove they've gone the distance.
- But since the State is unwilling to go the distance alone, rest assured his answer will be no.
- Either can go the distance, but one is ever-so-much more delightful.
- For those who went the distance it was time to reflect on their achievement.
- Physically the Decimax should go the distance, too.
- Steve Kemp and I became involved in a marathon match which went the full distance.
- Together, they go the distance.
- But a fair number of them went on to greater things.
- It prefers a fair amount of nutritious detritus.
- Scientists must proceed cautiously, moving ahead only with the assent of a fair number of their colleagues.
- Thanks to the inherently leaky nature of the water industry, there is already a fair amount of information to go on.
- That involved a fair amount of travel.
- There was a fair amount going on.
- They'd have a fair bit of tidying up to do before they left.
- You may also be involved in a fair amount of travel.
- Illiterates have no hope at all of calculating the expense of local service, let alone long-distance calls.
- Let us handle your long-distance calls, the letter said.
- Starting in late 1984, other elements of long-distance calling will begin to change..
- Taking a long-distance call still causes a certain turbulence here.
- The company said it plans to offer wireless telephone service beginning Thursday, with discounted packages of local and long-distance calling.
- Ezra leaned against the sink and stared off into the middle distance.
- At least then she would know that the oyster skiffs were within striking distance of the shore.
- Besides, we might be within striking distance of the well, a place to camp if necessary.
- He hadn't, but, looking at the map, Branson could see they were within striking distance.
- We are within striking distance of our goal.
WORD FAMILYnoundistanceadjectivedistantverbdistanceadverbdistantly
1amount of space [countable, uncountable] the amount of space between two places or thingsdistance 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.RegisterIn 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.2far away [singular] used to talk about a situation when something is far away from you in space or timein the distance Church bells rang in the distance (=they were far away).at/from a distance We watched from a distance.3unfriendly feeling [singular] a situation in which two people do not have a close friendly relationshipdistance between There was still a distance between me and my father.4keep 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.5go the (full) distance informal to finish something you have started: Do you think Greg will go the distance this time? → long-distance, middle distanceCOLLOCATIONSadjectivesa 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?verbstravel 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.phraseswithin (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.distance1 noundistance2 verb
distancedistance2 verb VERB TABLE
distance
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | distance |
| he, she, it | distances | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | distanced |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have distanced |
| he, she, it | has distanced | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had distanced |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will distance |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have distanced |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am distancing |
| he, she, it | is distancing | |
| you, we, they | are distancing | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was distancing |
| you, we, they | were distancing | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been distancing |
| he, she, it | has been distancing | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been distancing |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be distancing |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been distancing |
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
- Falconer had apparently been playing with the letters of the name, breaking them up, distancing each from the other.
- Finally, Norman began to distance himself.
- He also chose to distance himself geographically.
- He regards the trappings of power as more important than dogma, and has distanced himself from the Communists more than once.
- In the ensuing political rumpus John Major shamelessly distanced himself from his henchman.
- To many, the world in which they appear to have lived seems to have been distanced from reality.
- You must learn to distance yourself.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES The park is within easy walking distance (=close enough to walk to). We watched from a safe distance. Drivers should keep a safe distance from the car in front. Carol’s office was only a short distance away, and she decided that she would walk there. We must have walked ten miles today. I walked all the way to San Rafael.
· I’d like to make a long-distance call.
· The fare increases will be bad news for long-distance commuters.
The park is within easy walking distance (=close enough to walk to). (=for seeing things that are not close to you)· Without her distance glasses she couldn’t see his expression.
We watched from a safe distance. Drivers should keep a safe distance from the car in front. Carol’s office was only a short distance away, and she decided that she would walk there.· Long-distance travel is becoming much more common these days.
We must have walked ten miles today. I walked all the way to San Rafael. (=near enough to be able to walk to) There are plenty of bars and restaurants within walking distance of the hotel.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSVERB There are plenty of bars and restaurants within walking distance of the hotel.· Don't try distancing yourself from me by calling me Mr Calder.· She, too, has tried to distance herself from what she does best, but the good guys need her.· The lift was small and Rain was trying to distance herself from Oliver without pressing up against Wickham.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRYPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► a goodish distance/number etc► be within spitting distance (of something)
- But she could not distance herself from her friend's tragedy.
- Don't try distancing yourself from me by calling me Mr Calder.
- For that reason, abstract art has been anxious to distance itself from decoration.
- He also chose to distance himself geographically.
- He no longer confides in he, as he did in the letter at the beginning, but distances himself from her.
- It is another for the Prime Minister to distance herself from the policies of the government of which she is head.
- Or should it be able, despite being owned by the State, to distance itself somewhat from political authority?
- They did so, and he began progressively to distance himself from his mentor.
- But a fair number of them went on to greater things.
- It prefers a fair amount of nutritious detritus.
- Scientists must proceed cautiously, moving ahead only with the assent of a fair number of their colleagues.
- Thanks to the inherently leaky nature of the water industry, there is already a fair amount of information to go on.
- That involved a fair amount of travel.
- There was a fair amount going on.
- They'd have a fair bit of tidying up to do before they left.
- You may also be involved in a fair amount of travel.
- Illiterates have no hope at all of calculating the expense of local service, let alone long-distance calls.
- Let us handle your long-distance calls, the letter said.
- Starting in late 1984, other elements of long-distance calling will begin to change..
- Taking a long-distance call still causes a certain turbulence here.
- The company said it plans to offer wireless telephone service beginning Thursday, with discounted packages of local and long-distance calling.
- Ezra leaned against the sink and stared off into the middle distance.
- At least then she would know that the oyster skiffs were within striking distance of the shore.
- Besides, we might be within striking distance of the well, a place to camp if necessary.
- He hadn't, but, looking at the map, Branson could see they were within striking distance.
- We are within striking distance of our goal.
WORD FAMILYnoundistanceadjectivedistantverbdistanceadverbdistantly
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.- multilingual
- multilingualism
- multimedia
- multimedia messaging
- multimillion
- multimillionaire
- multinational
- multiparty
- multi-platform
- multi-player gaming
- multiple
- multiple birth
- multiple choice
- multiple personality
- multiple sclerosis
- multiple store
- multiplex
- multiplexer
- multiplexing
- multiplication
- multiplication sign
- multiplication table
- multiplicity
- multiply
- multipurpose