dis·tance / ˈdistəns/ • n. 1. an amount of space between two things or people: I bicycled the short distance home | the distance between front and rear wheels. ∎  the condition of being far off; remoteness: distance makes things look small | fig. a significant distance between German and Allied understandings of the war. ∎  a far-off point or place: watching them from a distance. ∎  (the distance) the more remote part of what is visible or discernible: I heard police sirens in the distance | they sped off into the distance. ∎  an interval of time: a distance of more than twenty years. ∎ fig. the avoidance of familiarity; aloofness or reserve: a mix of warmth and distance makes a good neighbor. 2. the full length of a race: he claimed the 10,000 meter title in only his second race over the distance. ∎  (the distance) Boxing the scheduled length of a fight: he has won his first five fights inside the distance. ∎  the distance from the winning post that a horse must have reached when the winner finishes in order to qualify for a subsequent heat. • v. [tr.] make (someone or something) far off or remote in position or nature: her mother wished to distance her from the rough village children. ∎  (distance oneself from) declare that one is not connected with or a supporter of (someone or something): he sought to distance himself from the proposals. ∎  Horse Racing beat (a horse) by a distance. PHRASES: go the distance Boxing complete a fight without being knocked out: he went the distance after being floored in the first round. ∎  (of a boxing match) last the scheduled length: six of his fights went the distance. ∎  Baseball pitch for the entire length of a game. ∎  last for a long time: this amplifier system should go the distance. keep one's distance stay far away: keep your distance from birds feeding their young. ∎  maintain one's reserve: you had to say nothing and keep your distance. within —— distance near enough to reach by the means specified: the parking lot is within easy walking distance | he wanted to be within driving distance of his grandparents. within spitting distance within a very short distance. within striking distance near enough to hit or achieve something: the aircraft carrier is dispatched to deep waters within striking distance of Moscow.

123. Distance

See also 264. MEASUREMENT .

echolocation

the fixing of the position of an object by transmitting a signal and measuring the time required for it to bounce back, typically done by radar or sonar.

hodometer

odometer.

nauscopy

the ability, sometimes pretended, to sight ships or land at great distances.

odograph

a device that records the distance traveled; a recording odometer or pedometer.

odometer

a device for measuring the distance passed over, as by an automobile. Also spelled hodometer .

pedometer

a device that measures the distance walked by counting the number of steps taken.

tachymeter

a surveying instrument for measuring distance, height, elevation, etc.

tachymetry

the measurement of distance, height, elevation, etc., with a tachymeter.

telemeter

1 . an instrument for measuring the distance of objects from the observer, as the range finder in artillery.

2 . an electronic device for taking readings from other distant instruments.

telemetry

the science or use of the telemeter; long-distance measurement.

telepheme Rare.

a communication or conversation by telephone.

viameter

an early form of odometer, for measuring the distance traveled by a carriage. Also viatometer .

distance distance lends enchantment to the view proverbial saying, late 18th century; originally a quotation from the Scottish poet Thomas Campbell (1777–1844): ‘'Tis distance lends enchantment to the view, And robes the mountain in its azure hue.’ Compare blue are the hills that are far away.
go the distance complete a difficult task or endure an ordeal. A metaphor from boxing, meaning when used of a boxer, ‘complete a match without being knocked out’, and of a boxing match, ‘last the scheduled length’. In the US there is an additional baseball-related sense, ‘pitch for the entire length of an inning’.

distance •abeyance, conveyance, purveyance •creance • ambience •irradiance, radiance •expedience, obedience •audience •dalliance, mésalliance •salience •consilience, resilience •emollience • ebullience •convenience, lenience, provenience •impercipience, incipience, percipience •variance • experience •luxuriance, prurience •nescience • omniscience •insouciance • deviance •subservience • transience •alliance, appliance, compliance, defiance, misalliance, neuroscience, reliance, science •allowance •annoyance, clairvoyance, flamboyance •fluence, pursuance •perpetuance • affluence • effluence •mellifluence • confluence •congruence • issuance • continuance •disturbance •attendance, dependence, interdependence, resplendence, superintendence, tendance, transcendence •cadence •antecedence, credence, impedance •riddance • diffidence • confidence •accidence • precedence • dissidence •coincidence, incidence •evidence •improvidence, providence •residence •abidance, guidance, misguidance, subsidence •correspondence, despondence •accordance, concordance, discordance •avoidance, voidance •imprudence, jurisprudence, prudence •impudence • abundance • elegance •arrogance • extravagance •allegiance • indigence •counter-intelligence, intelligence •negligence • diligence • intransigence •exigence •divulgence, effulgence, indulgence, refulgence •convergence, divergence, emergence, insurgence, resurgence, submergence •significance •balance, counterbalance, imbalance, outbalance, valance •parlance • repellence • semblance •bivalence, covalence, surveillance, valence •sibilance • jubilance • vigilance •pestilence • silence • condolence •virulence • ambulance • crapulence •flatulence • feculence • petulance •opulence • fraudulence • corpulence •succulence, truculence •turbulence • violence • redolence •indolence • somnolence • excellence •insolence • nonchalance •benevolence, malevolence •ambivalence, equivalence •Clemence • vehemence •conformance, outperformance, performance •adamance • penance • ordinance •eminence • imminence •dominance, prominence •abstinence • maintenance •continence • countenance •sustenance •appurtenance, impertinence, pertinence •provenance • ordnance • repugnance •ordonnance • immanence •impermanence, permanence •assonance • dissonance • consonance •governance • resonance • threepence •halfpence • sixpence •comeuppance, tuppence, twopence •clarence, transparence •aberrance, deterrence, inherence, Terence •remembrance • entrance •Behrens, forbearance •fragrance • hindrance • recalcitrance •abhorrence, Florence, Lawrence, Lorentz •monstrance •concurrence, co-occurrence, occurrence, recurrence •encumbrance •adherence, appearance, clearance, coherence, interference, perseverance •assurance, durance, endurance, insurance •exuberance, protuberance •preponderance • transference •deference, preference, reference •difference • inference • conference •sufferance • circumference •belligerence • tolerance • ignorance •temperance • utterance • furtherance •irreverence, reverence, severance •deliverance • renascence • absence •acquiescence, adolescence, arborescence, coalescence, convalescence, deliquescence, effervescence, essence, evanescence, excrescence, florescence, fluorescence, incandescence, iridescence, juvenescence, luminescence, obsolescence, opalescence, phosphorescence, pubescence, putrescence, quiescence, quintessence, tumescence •obeisance, Renaissance •puissance •impuissance, reminiscence •beneficence, maleficence •magnificence, munificence •reconnaissance • concupiscence •reticence •licence, license •nonsense •nuisance, translucence •innocence • conversance • sentience •impatience, patience •conscience •repentance, sentence •acceptance • acquaintance •acquittance, admittance, intermittence, pittance, quittance, remittance •assistance, coexistence, consistence, distance, existence, insistence, outdistance, persistence, resistance, subsistence •instance • exorbitance •concomitance •impenitence, penitence •appetence •competence, omnicompetence •inheritance • capacitance • hesitance •Constance • importance • potence •conductance, inductance, reluctance •substance • circumstance •omnipotence • impotence •inadvertence • grievance •irrelevance, relevance •connivance, contrivance •observance • sequence • consequence •subsequence • eloquence •grandiloquence, magniloquence •brilliance • poignance •omnipresence, pleasance, presence •complaisance • malfeasance •incognizance, recognizance •usance • recusance