distance

verb

distanced; distancing

transitive verb

1

: to make or maintain a personal or emotional separation from : to place or keep at a distance

able to distance themselves from the tragedy

distances herself from her coworkers

2

: to leave far behind : outstrip

easily distanced the other candidates in the race

Examples of distance in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That's a reflection of how hard the tennis world has worked to distance itself from Russia. —Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 June 2026

The controversy has sparked concerns for leaders across Lake County, and various officials have publicly and privately begun distancing themselves from the project. —Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2026

OpenAI has sought to distance itself from Leading the Future, which has received $25 million in donations from Brockman and his wife Anna. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 4 June 2026

The Minnesota Republican Party is distancing itself from a moment of silence held for Derek Chauvin during its state convention, saying the gesture was not part of leadership planning, not included in the official program, and should not be interpreted as a party position. —Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 2 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

see distant

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing distance

• aesthetic distance
• at a distance of
• by some distance
• distance education
• distance learning
• go the distance
• hailing distance
• hyperfocal distance
• in the distance
• keep at a distance
• keep one's distance
• last the distance
• long-distance
• mean distance
• middle distance
• physical distance
• physically distance
• shouting distance
• social distance
• socially distance
• some distance
• spitting distance
• stopping distance
• striking distance
• within hearing distance
• within/in walking distance
• within spitting distance

Rhymes for distance

• assistance
• consistence
• desistance
• existence
• insistence
• persistence
• resistance
• subsistence
• coexistence
• nonexistence
• magnetoresistance

Kids Definition

distance

1 of 3 noun

dis·​tance ˈdis-tən(t)s 

1

a

: separation in time

b

: the space or amount of space between two points, lines, surfaces, or objects

c

: the full length

go the distance

2

: the quality or state of being not friendly : reserve

3

: a distant point or place

a light seen in the distance

distance

2 of 3 verb

distanced; distancing

1

: to make or keep an emotional separation from

2

: to leave far behind

distance

3 of 3 adjective

: taking place using electronic media that links instructors and students who are not together in a classroom

distance learning