French Conversation · Level 6
87 words
French word
distance
Pronunciation
IPA/distɑ̃s/
Meaning
- feminine noundistance
Example
Quelle est la distance entre Paris et Lyon ?
What is the distance between Paris and Lyon?
More examples
Garde une distance de sécurité en voiture.
Keep a safe distance when driving.
Core concept
A measurable gap separating two points, moments, or situations, whether physical or emotional.
Common phrases
la distance de sécurité
safe distance
prendre de la distance
keep one's distance
la distance entre deux villes
the distance between two cities
Similar words
éloignement: The state of being far away from a person or place.
écart: The size of a difference between two values or opinions.
séparation: The state of being apart from another person or thing.
proximité: The state of being near another person or thing.
Definition in French
Écart mesurable entre deux instants, lieux ou situations, employé aussi au sens figuré pour une séparation émotionnelle ou sociale.
Word origin
French distance comes from Latin distantia, based on distare, meaning to stand apart, and extends from spatial separation to time and figurative separation.
Usage tips
- For elapsed length, durée is often more natural than distance, while distance also describes emotional or social separation.
Other meanings
- intervalnoun
- gapnoun
Opposites
- proximitéproximitynoun
- rapprochementrapprochementnoun
Related words
- distanceroutdistanceverb
- distantdistantadjective
- distanciationdistancingnoun