distance

Universal Words 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). seealsoLONG-DISTANCE, MIDDLEDISTANCE, 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 [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: There was a growing distance between the two sides of the family. * The coldness and distance in her voice took me by surprise. IDIOMS at / from a distance from a place or time that is not near; from far away: She had loved him at a distance for years. go the (full) distance to continue playing in a competition or sports contest until the end: Nobody thought he would last 15 rounds but he went the full distance. in / into the distance far away but still able to be seen or heard: We saw lights in the distance. * Alice stood staring into the distance. * Five miles of sand stretched away into the distance. keep sb at a distance to refuse to be friendly with sb; to not let sb be friendly towards you: The manager prefers to keep employees at a distance. keep your distance (from sb/sth) 1 to make sure you are not too near sb/sth 2 to avoid getting too friendly or involved with a person, group, etc: She was warned to keep her distance from Charles if she didn't want to get hurt. moreatSHOUTING, SPITv., STRIKEv. verb [VN] ~ yourself sb/sth (from sb/sth) to 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.