distancing

verb

present participle of distance
1
as in retreating

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2
as in discarding

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for distancing
  1. retreating
  2. discarding
  3. receding
  4. flinging
  5. dispelling
  6. dumping
  7. ditching
  8. shedding
Verb
  • Record-low water levels along the Danube River have exposed dozens of German military shipwrecks near the Serbian town of Prahovo, where an estimated 200 vessels were deliberately scuttled by retreating Nazi forces in 1944.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Surveillance video recovered by police showed the two men fighting in an alley and then Britt retreating from Fitzsimmons, according to the charging document.
    — Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of retreating
Verb
  • Okegbe recommends immediately discarding any can that’s bulging, leaking, heavily rusted, or dented.
    — Jamie Cuccinelli, Martha Stewart, 26 July 2026
  • But more typical are quality-of-life complaints from riders who report people drinking or getting high at stations or discarding bags of fast food debris on platforms.
    — Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 25 July 2026
Definition of discarding
Verb
  • Crucially, the massive wave of new construction is now receding, with starts plummeting.
    — Brad Hunter, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
  • As the spacecraft closed in, the video follows Mars steadily expanding to reveal numerous craters puncturing its surface, the ancient double-ringed Huygens crater and the south polar ice cap before receding in the spacecraft's rearview.
    — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of receding
Verb
  • The image of Jesse flinging his glove into the air and falling to his knees in celebration will live forever in the minds of Mets fans.
    — New York Daily News, New York Daily News, 26 July 2026
  • That’s when the animal hit McDaniel with its head, flinging him into the air.
    — Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 14 July 2026
Definition of flinging
Verb
  • The public is both fascinated and afraid of injections, but dispelling the rumors that a massive needle could go as deep as your bone goes a long way in vaccine adoption.
    — Adam Goodcoff, STAT, 13 May 2026
  • Joining the chorus of other CEOs, former Goldman Sachs leader Lloyd Blankfein is dispelling the myth that an Ivy League degree or supreme intellect is a prerequisite for success.
    — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026
Definition of dispelling
Verb
  • The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt has been growing since 2011, dumping an increasing amount of seaweed along coastlines in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 July 2026
  • Gale-force winds were hampering aircraft from dumping water on the flames.
    — Mark Carlson, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026
Definition of dumping
Verb
  • But the images of young Moroccans marching up the shoreline, ditching inflatable tubes along their way, have forced Europe into a debate over how countries can manage migration humanely while maintaining control of their borders.
    — Colette Davidson, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Aug. 2026
  • This buttery-soft basic is worth ditching your frumpy tees for.
    — Olivia Cigliano, InStyle, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of ditching
Verb
  • Breslow then traded Rafael Devers, shedding significant salary and acquiring prospects, including Kyle Harrison.
    — Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • If the Republican brand is toxic enough to guarantee a mathematical ceiling, the only viable path to the governor’s mansion may require shedding the partisan skin entirely.
    — Dain Fitzgerald, The Washington Examiner, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of shedding
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.

Browse Nearby Words

distances
distancing
distant
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Cite this Entry

“Distancing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distancing. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on distancing

Nglish: Translation of distancing for Spanish Speakers

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