space

1 of 2

verb

spaced; spacing

transitive verb

: to place at intervals or arrange with space between

Evenly space 16 tablespoons of shredded cheese on the baking sheet …

—The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

—often used with out

Space out the work you plan to do … Don't try to crowd too much into each day.

—Darlene Polachic

intransitive verb

1

: to leave one or more blank spaces (as in a line of typing)

2

informal : to fail to remember something : forget

… I totally forgot to write last week. I had planned to do it, I had it all figured out, and I spaced.

—Steve "Nookie" Postal

—often used with on

If your mom doesn't live close by, or if you totally spaced on getting her a Mother's Day gift this year, then flowers or chocolates are a great, last-minute gift idea that are sure to brighten her day.

—Leah Stodart

see also space out

spaced-out

2 of 2

adjective

ˌspāst-ˈau̇t 

1

or spaced

ˈspāst 

: dazed or stupefied by or as if by a narcotic substance : high

2

: of very strange character : weird

a spaced-out fantasy

Synonyms of space

Adjective

• bizarre
• strange
• erratic
• weird
• funny
• odd
• curious
• eccentric
• peculiar
• crazy
• remarkable

Examples of space in a Sentence

Verb

Space the seedlings about six inches apart.

He spaces his albums so that he puts one out every two to three years.

They spaced the births of their three children two years apart.

Adjective

that was a seriously spaced-out movie about an alternate reality

a spaced-out representative from customer service who knew less than we did

the mindless ramblings of a spaced-out, over-the-hill hippie

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

At Disneyland, the ride’s old Carousel Theater building remains mostly empty, housing only photo ops and some hospitality spaces these days. —Robert Niles, Oc Register, 2 June 2026

These diseases can be prevented with proper watering measurements and keeping your mound spaced properly. —Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 2 June 2026

Adjective

Listen to this article Loading your audio article CHICAGO — Is the NBA too fast, too spaced-out and too much to handle for Purdue’s big man Zach Edey? NBA players and coaches say no — but agree the 7-foot-4 Edey has his work cut out for him. —Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2024

But these are some of our favorite unfamiliar, unsettling, provocative, transgressive, spaced-out, psychedelic, surreal, meditative, confrontational, and, sure, difficult albums of the year. —Pitchfork, 14 Dec. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1700, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Adjective

1937, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing space

• absolute space
• a waste of space
• Banach space
• breathing space
• counter space
• crawl space
• dead-air space
• dead space
• deep space
• double-space
• Euclidean space
• half-space
• Hilbert space
• inner space
• invade someone's space
• in/within the space of
• linear space
• maker space
• metric space
• null-space
• outer space
• parking place/space/spot
• personal space
• safe space
• sample space
• short space of time
• single-space
• space-age
• space bar
• space cadet
• space charge
• space elevator
• space force
• space frame
• space heater
• space heating
• space lattice
• space mark
• space medicine
• space opera
• space out
• space probe
• space shuttle
• space station
• space suit
• space-time
• space walk
• stare/gaze (off) into space
• topological space
• triple-space
• vector space
• white space

Rhymes for space

• ace
• base
• brace
• case
• chace
• dace
• face
• grace
• lace
• mace
• pace
• place

Kids Definition

space

1 of 2 noun

ˈspās 

1

: a period of time

2

a

: a limited extent in one, two, or three dimensions : distance, area, volume

b

: an area set apart or available

parking space

floor space

3

: the limitless three-dimensional extent in which all things exist and move

4

: the region beyond the earth's atmosphere

5

: a blank area separating words or lines

6

: an available seat on a public vehicle

space

2 of 2 verb

spaced; spacing

: to place with space between

space out the chairs one foot apart

Medical Definition

space

noun

ˈspās 

1

: a period of time

also : its duration

2

: a limited extent in one, two, or three dimensions

3

: a particular area or cavity within the body