distance 1 of 2

noun

ˈdi-stən(t)s How to pronounce distance (audio)
Definition of distancenext
1
as in length
the space or amount of space between two points, lines, surfaces, or objects the distance between the earth and the sun is about 93 million miles

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in expanse
a wide space or area a region marked by great, featureless distances

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in difference
the quality or state of being different the brothers' personalities are like the distance between night and day

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

distance

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to retreat

Related Words

Dissimilar Words
2
as in to throw away

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of distance
Noun
Matt Martin, 47th, would allow one interior exit stairs in new apartment buildings up to five stories and no more than four units per floor, while ensuring that every building has sprinklers, short travel distances, fire alarms and smoke detection. — Adam Drakulic, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026 Thompson is fourth all-time in most 3’s and still a 38 percent marksman from distance. — Greg Cote august 23, Miami Herald, 23 Aug. 2026
Verb
The filing marks Vivienne’s latest public move to distance herself from the Pitt surname. — Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026 Biden’s support collapsed within his first year, and Kamala Harris’s half-hearted efforts to distance herself from her unpopular boss were too little, too late. — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for distance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distance
  1. length
  2. expanse
  3. difference
  4. retreat
  5. throw away
  6. width
  7. expansion
  8. distinctness
Noun
  • Sammour points to 16-18 inches as the sweet spot, a length that settles at the collarbone and flatters nearly any neckline.
    — Pooja Mistry, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Wood is a big winger as well and can use his length to maintain possession and win battles.
    — Corey Pronman, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of length
Noun
  • It’s presented as an impressionistic historical montage, of Black farmworkers and the land, with clips of Black history that include modern suburbs, and a woman—Z herself—who gazes out of a door into a sere expanse of land bordered by low mountains.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Farms bring to mind the smell of hay, the sound of gravel crunching underfoot, horses snorting, grass swaying in the rolling fields, and the vast expanse of the star-studded sky.
    — Jeffrey Dungan, Southern Living, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of expanse
Noun
  • Those ideas say some people are superior to others, and the inequality that exists in the world around us reflects those innate differences, and inequality is a good thing, and a necessary thing, and the only real way to organize social life.
    — John Blake, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Recent sales data suggest shoppers are responding to the price difference.
    — Beth Livesay, AJC.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of difference
Verb
  • Skywatchers will not only see the moon change color, but also witness the sharp, curved edge of Earth’s shadow steadily advancing across — and later retreating from — the lunar surface.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026
  • At a moment when Washington is retreating from its responsibilities, New York is stepping up for vulnerable immigrant children.
    — Meena Shah, New York Daily News, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of retreat
Verb
  • The New York Sanitation Department is telling New Yorkers to stop throwing away their needles the wrong way.
    — Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026
  • One could attribute this to the city’s stark architectural contrasts; for example, the uber-modern Millennium Stadium was built a stone’s throw away from the 2,000-year-old Cardiff Castle in the medieval heart of town.
    — Paul Jebara, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of throw away
Noun
  • He is involved in fewer one-versus-one situations, but he is still being asked to provide width at times.
    — Andy Jones, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Nanoplastics are tiny nanoparticles of plastic one one-thousandth the average width of a human hair — small enough to pass through the tissues of the digestive tract or lungs and enter your bloodstream.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of width
Noun
  • But cultivating consumer trust, as opposed to pursuing rapid product expansion and chasing virality, has become a defining — and differentiating — aspect of Westman Atelier’s go-to-market model.
    — Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Generac announced investing $250 million in its factory expansion and expects to add 1,000 employees to its headcount as data center orders continue to roll in.
    — Rachel Wells, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of expansion
Noun
  • How can the sense of an absolute union of all matter be reconciled with the endless multiplicity and distinctness of it?
    — Christian Wiman, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
  • However, a few hours with Air Riders reveals the nuance and depth of its gameplay, the distinctness of this flavor of racing game and its sensory, chaotic, and strategic appeal.
    — Ryan Gaur, Rolling Stone, 19 Nov. 2025
Definition of distinctness

Phrases Containing distance

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distains
distance
distanced
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Cite this Entry

“Distance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distance. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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