DISTANCE

The rule is that the dis- tance between given points should be meas- ured in a straight line; 5 E. & B. 92; 6 id. 350; 8 L. R. Exch. 32. But in a rule of court as to service the distance has been taken by the usual road; 7 Cow. 419.

Is measured in a straight line, as the crow flies," or on the horizontal plane.1 May refer to the usually traveled road.2 See ALONG; COURSE, 1; DIRECT, 1; NEAR.

The space between two objects; the length of a line, especially the shortest line joining two points or things that are separate; measure of separation in place. Every particle attracts every other with a force . . . inversely proportioned to the square of the distance. Sir I. Newton. Remoteness of place; a remote place. Easily managed from a distance. W. Irving. 'T is distance lends enchantment to the view. T. Campbell. [He] waits at distance till he hears from Cato. Addison. A space marked out in the last part of a race course. The horse that ran the whole field out of distance. L'Estrange. Relative space, between troops in ranks, measured from front to rear; -- contrasted with interval, which is measured from right to left. "Distance between companies in close column is twelve yards." Farrow. Space between two antagonists in fencing. Shak. The part of a picture which contains the representation of those objects which are the farthest away, esp. in a landscape. Ideal disjunction; discrepancy; contrariety. Locke. Length or interval of time; period, past or future, between two eras or events. Ten years' distance between one and the other. Prior. The writings of Euclid at the distance of two thousand years. Playfair. The remoteness or reserve which respect requires; hence, respect; ceremoniousness. I hope your modesty Will know what distance to the crown is due. Dryden. 'T is by respect and distance that authority is upheld. Atterbury. A withholding of intimacy; alienation; coldness; disagreement; variance; restraint; reserve. Setting them [factions] at distance, or at least distrust amongst themselves. Bacon. On the part of Heaven, Now alienated, distance and distaste. Milton. Remoteness in succession or relation; as, the distance between a descendant and his ancestor. The interval between two notes; as, the distance of a fourth or seventh. Angular distance, the distance made at the eye by lines drawn from the eye to two objects. -- Lunar distance. See under Lunar. -- North polar distance (Astron.), the distance on the heavens of a heavenly body from the north pole. It is the complement of the declination. -- Zenith distance (Astron.), the arc on the heavens from a heavenly body to the zenith of the observer. It is the complement of the altitude. -- To keep one's distance, to stand aloof; to refrain from familiarity. If a man makes keep my distance, the comfort is he keeps his at the same time. Swift.

To place at a distance or remotely. I heard nothing thereof at Oxford, being then miles distanced thence. Fuller. To cause to appear as if at a distance; to make seem remote. His peculiar art of distancing an object to aggrandize his space. H. Miller. To outstrip by as much as a distance (see Distance, n., 3); to leave far behind; to surpass greatly. He distanced the most skillful of his contemporaries. Milner.

An amount of space between points (often geographical points), usually (but not necessarily) measured along a straight line. | An amount of space between points (often geographical points), usually (but not necessarily) measured along a straight line. | Chiefly in by a distance: a space of more than 30 lengths (about 80 yards or 7.3 metres) between two racehorses finishing a race, used to describe the margin of victory; also (archaic), any space of 240 yards (about 219.5 metres) on a racecourse. | Chiefly in from a distance: a place which is far away or remote; specifically (especially painting), a more remote part of a landscape or view as contrasted with the foreground. | Chiefly with a modifying word: a measure between two points or quantities; a difference, a variance. | An interval or length of time between events. | A separation in some way other than space or time. | Synonym of length (“an extent measured along the longest dimension of an object”). | A disagreement, a dispute; also, an estrangement. | A difference in pitch between sounds; an interval. | The amount of space between points (often geographical points), usually (but not necessarily) measured along a straight line. | The amount of space between points (often geographical points), usually (but not necessarily) measured along a straight line. | The maximum amount of space between a boxer and their opponent within which the boxer can punch effectively. | The amount of space between points (often geographical points), usually (but not necessarily) measured along a straight line. | Often in go the distance, last the distance, or stay the distance: the scheduled duration of a bout. | The amount of space between points (often geographical points), usually (but not necessarily) measured along a straight line. | The amount of space between a fencer and their opponent, which the fencer tries to control in order to gain an advantage over the opponent. | The amount of space between points (often geographical points), usually (but not necessarily) measured along a straight line. | Originally, the space measured back from the winning post which a racehorse running in a heat must reach when the winner has covered the whole course, in order to run in a subsequent heat; also, the point on the racecourse that space away from the winning post; now, the point on a racecourse 240 yards from the winning post. | The amount of space between points (often geographical points), usually (but not necessarily) measured along a straight line. | The amount of space between soldiers or cavalry riders marching or standing in a rank; also, the amount of space between such ranks. | The amount of space between points (often geographical points), usually (but not necessarily) measured along a straight line. | The complete length of a course over which a race is run. | Chiefly preceded by the, especially in into or in the distance: the place that is far away or remote. | The state of being separated from something else, especially by a long way; the state of being far off or remote; farness, remoteness. | The entire amount of progress to an objective. | The state of remoteness or separation in some way other than space or time. | The state of people not being close, friendly, or intimate with each other; also, the state of people who were once close, friendly, or intimate with each other no longer being so; estrangement. | Excessive reserve or lack of friendliness shown by a person; aloofness, coldness. | The rank to which an important person belongs. | The state of disagreement or dispute between people; dissension. | Often followed by to or towards: an attitude of remoteness or reserve which respect requires; hence, ceremoniousness.

Often followed by from: to set (someone or something) at a distance (noun noun sense 1.1) from someone or something else. | To cause (a place, a thing, etc.) to seem distant, or (figurative) unfamiliar. | To leave behind (someone or something moving in the same direction; specifically, other competitors in a race) some distance away; to outpace, to outstrip. | To keep (someone) emotionally or socially apart from another person or people. | To exceed or surpass (someone, such as a peer or rival); to outdo, to outstrip. | To keep (oneself) away from someone or something, especially because one does not want to be associated with that person or thing. | Of a racehorse: to beat (another horse) by a certain distance; also (passive voice), to cause (a horse) to be disqualified by beating it by a certain distance. | To cover the entire distance to (something). | To depart from (a place); to leave (a place) behind. | To indicate or measure the distance to (a place). | To set (two or more things) at regular distances from each other; to space, to space out. | Often followed by from. | To set oneself at a distance from someone or something else; to move away from someone or something. | Often followed by from. | To keep oneself emotionally or socially apart from another person or people; to keep one's distance.