space
/speɪs/
space noun: the distance between objects.
Noun
space (countable and uncountable, plural spaces)
- The distance between objects.
- But neere him, thy Angell / Becomes a feare: as being o're-powr'd, therefore / Make ſpace enough betweene you.c. 1606–1607 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard...
- Which means that for every car there was 10 years ago, there are now 40. Which means - and this is my own, not totally scientific, calculation - that the space between cars on the roads in 1991 was roughly 39 car lengths, because today there is no space at all.2001 November 3, Sam Wollaston, “Russian around”, in The Guardian
- Synonyms:
- break, gap, interlapse, interspace, interstice, interstitium, opening, separation
- A physical extent across two or three dimensions (sometimes for or to do something).
- O God, I could be bounded in a nutſhell, and / count my ſelfe a King of infinite ſpace; were it not that / I haue bad dreames.c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac...
- They also wanted a larger garden and more space for home working.2007 May 12, Dominic Bradbury, “Lost and found - an artist's voyage from city to country”, in The Guardian
- A physical extent in all directions, seen as an attribute of the universe (now usually considered as a part of space-time), or a mathematical model of this.
- Space is the Phantasme of a Thing existing without the Mind simply.1656, Thomas Hobbes, Elements of Philosophy, section II
- These are not questions which can be decided by reference to our space intuitions, for our intuitions are confined to Euclidean space, and even there are insufficient, approximative.1880 August, Popular Science
- The near-vacuum in which planets, stars and other celestial objects are situated; the universe beyond the earth's atmosphere.
- the first man in space
- How firſt began this Heav'n which we behold / Diſtant ſo high, with moving Fires adornd / Innumerable, and this which yeelds or fills / All ſpace, the ambient Aire wide interfus'd / Imbracing round this florid Earth, […]1667, John Milton, “Book VII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished...
- Synonyms:
- outer space
- The physical and psychological area one needs within which to live or operate; personal freedom.
- Around the time of my parents' divorce, I learned that reading could also give me space.1996, Linda Brodkey, Writing Permitted in Designated Areas Only
- "I care about you Billy, whether you believe it or not; but right now I need my space."2008, Jimmy Treigle, Walking on Water
- Free time; leisure, opportunity.
- Come on, thou are granted ſpace.c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
- In two days hence / The Judge of life and death aſcends his ſeat. / —This will afford him ſpace to reach the camp[…].1793, Henry Boyd, “The Royal Message”, in Poems, Dublin: Graisberry and Campbell, page 408
- Synonyms:
- leisure time, spare time
- A specific (specified) period of time.
- I pray you, sirs, to take some cheers the while I go for a moment's space to my poor afflicted child.1893, Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman, Giles Corey
- The match was lost, though, in the space of just twenty minutes or so.2007 October 20, Andy Bull, “We wozn't robbed!”, in The Guardian
- Synonyms:
- duration, span, interval, period, period of time, tide, time, time interval, time period, timespan
- An undefined period of time (without qualifier, especially a short period); a while.
- Even Comrade Butt cast off his gloom for a space and immersed his whole being in scrambled eggs.1923 May 17, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, “(please specify the page)”, in The Inimitable Jeeves, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC
- A (chiefly empty) area or volume with set limits or boundaries; (architecture) such a space inside or outside a building, often with a specified use.
- exhibition space; public space; the space is light-filled
- Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers,[…]. Even such a boat as the Mount Vernon offered a total deck space so cramped as to leave secrecy or privacy well out of the question, even had the motley and democratic assemblage of passengers been...1910, Emerson Hough, chapter II, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC
- A position on the staff or stave bounded by lines.
- The note next above Sol is La; La, therefore, stands in the 2nd space; Si, on the 3rd line, &c.1849, Guillaume Louis Bocquillon-Wilhem, translated by John Pyke Hullah, Wilhelm's Method of Teaching Singing
- The lines and spaces of the staff are named according to the first seven letters of the alphabet, that is, A B C D E F G.1990, Sammy Nzioki, Music Time
- A gap in text between words, lines etc., or a digital character used to create such a gap.
- According to experts, a single line of text should rarely exceed about 50 characters (including letters and all the spaces between words).1992, Sam H Ham, Environmental Interpretation
- It should be typed a space below the salutation : Dear Sir, Subject : Replacement of defective items.2005, Dr BR Kishore, Dynamic Business Letter Writing
- Synonyms:
- blank, gap, whitespace
- A piece of metal type used to separate words, cast lower than other type so as not to take ink, especially one that is narrower than one en (compare quad).
- If it be only a Single Letter or two that drops, he thruſts the end of his Bodkin between every Letter of that Word, till he comes to a Space: and then perhaps by forcing thoſe Letters closer, he may have room to put in another Space or a Thin Space; which if he cannot do, and he finds the Space...1683, Joseph Moxon, Mechanick Exercises: Or, the Doctrine of Handy-Works. Applied to the art of Printing., volume 2, pages 240–1
- Horizontal spacing is further divided into multiples and fractions of the em. The multiples are called quads. The fractions are called spaces.1979, Marshall Lee, Bookmaking, page 110
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- A gap; an empty place.
- Mainstream Hollywood would not cater to the taste for sexual sensation, which left a space for B-movies, including noir.2004, Harry M Benshoff, editor, Queer Cinéma
- A horizontal scar filled the space on her chest where her right breast used to be.2009, Barbara L. Lev, From Pink to Green
- A set of points, each of which is uniquely specified by a number (the dimensionality) of coordinates.
- A generalized construct or set whose members have some property in common; typically there will be a geometric metaphor allowing these members to be viewed as “points”. Often used with a restricting modifier describing the members (e.g. vector space), or indicating the inventor of the construct (e.g. Hilbert space).
- Functional analysis is best approached through a sound knowledge of Hilbert space theory.
- A field, area, or sphere of activity or endeavour.
- innovation in the browser space
- CNBC has shown a greater commitment to the crypto space than most other mainstream outlets, providing daily updates on bitcoin or other very large cryptocurrencies.2019, Ryan Derousseau, The Everything Guide to Investing in Cryptocurrency […] , Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 269
- Anything analogous to a physical space in which one can interact, such as an online chat room.
- Communication in Internet chat spaces allows participants to communicate so freely in the relative safety of anonymity that they forget their privacy.2007, Jacob van Kokswijk, Digital Ego: Social and Legal Aspects of Virtual Identity, page 88
Verb
space (third-person singular simple present spaces, present participle spacing, simple past and past participle spaced)
- To roam, walk, wander.
- But she as Fayes are wont, in priuie place / Did spend her dayes, and lov'd in forests wyld to space.1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, IV.ii
- To set some distance apart.
- Faye had spaced the pots at 8-inch intervals on the windowsill.
- The cities are evenly spaced.
- To insert or utilise spaces in a written text.
- This paragraph seems badly spaced.
- To space out (become distracted, lose focus).
- My sprout, like I'm totally spaced over you and besides I like older women (arh-arh). I love you...1986 August 16, “Happy Birthday Doo (personal advertisement)”, in Gay Community News, volume 14, number 5, page 13
- To kill (someone) by ejection into outer space, usually without a space suit.
- The captain spaced the traitors.
- Sound effect of blow with blunt instrument, groan, and the unmistakable cycling of an air lock—Castor: "Sorry, folks. My assistant has just spaced Mr. Rudolf. […]"1952, Robert A. Heinlein, The Rolling Stones
- To travel into and through outer space.
- He well remembered, when he was a junior officer, how the sight of a well dressed, impeccably neat commanding officer, no matter how long they had been spacing, maintained the enthusiasm, confidence and morale of the officers and men.1947 January, Bernard I. Kahn, “Command”, in Astounding Science Fiction, volume 38, number 5
Proper noun capitalized: Space
Space (plural Spaces)
- A surname.
space meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu
space in Hindi
- physical extent in two or three dimensions
- दिक् dik, अंतराल antrāl, जगह jagah, दिकस्थान dikasthān, अंतर antar
- area beyond atmosphere of planets
- अंतरिक्ष antrikṣ
- personal freedom
- स्थान sthān
- interval of time
- अवधि avdhi, अंतराल antrāl
space in Tamil
- விண்வெளி, அந்தரம், கட்டம், இடைவெளி, பரவெளி
space in Marathi
- space; outer space
- अंतरिक्ष antrikṣa, अंतराळ antarāḷa
space in Urdu
- physical extent in two or three dimensions
- فَضا fazā, مَکان makān
- area beyond atmosphere of planets
- خَلاء xalā', فَضا fazā
- gap between written characters, lines etc.
- وَقْفَہ vaqfa
More languagesFewer languages
- space in Bengali
- মহাশূন্য mohaśunno, মহাকাশ mohakaś
- space in Telugu
- అంతరిక్షము antarikṣamu, వ్యోమము vyōmamu
- space in Malayalam
- ഇടം iṭaṁ, സ്ഥലം sthalaṁ, ദിക്ക് dikkŭ, അന്തരീക്ഷം antarīkṣaṁ
- space in Kannada
- ಅಗಲ agala
- space in Punjabi
- ਵਿੱਥ vittha, ਥਾਂ thā̃, ਸਥਾਨ, ਸੰਨ੍ਹ sannh
- space in Gujarati
- અંતરિક્ષ antrikṣ, જગ્યા jagyā
- space in Odia
- ଜାଗା jāgā
- space in Sanskrit
- अवकाश avakāśa, आकाश ākāśa, अन्तरीक्ष antarīkṣa, अन्तरिक्ष antarikṣa
- space in Sinhala
- අභ්යවකාශය abhyawakāśaya
- space in Assamese
- মহাকাশ mohakax
- space in Nepali
- अन्तरीक्ष antarīkṣa
- space in Pashto
- فضا fazã
- space in Tagalog
- espasyo, kalawakan, pagitan, puwang
- space in Arabic
- فَرَاغ farāḡ, مَكَان makān, فَضَاء faḍāʔ, مَسَافَة masāfa
- space in Malay
- ruang, angkasa, awang-awang, sawang langit
- space in Indonesian
- antariksa, spasi
- space in Thai
- อาณาเขต aa-naa-kèet, ช่องว่าง chɔ̂ng-wâang, ที่ว่าง tîi-wâang, อวกาศ à-wá-gàat
- space in Vietnamese
- khoảng, chỗ, không gian, khoảng không
- space in Myanmar
- အာကာသ akasa.
Examples of space in a sentence
- After all, to go into outer space is not so much worse, if at all, than a polar expedition.1900 December – 1901 August, H[erbert] G[eorge] Wells, The First Men in the Moon, London: George Newnes, […], published 1901, →OCLC:
- The human race must colonise space within the next two centuries or it will become extinct, Stephen Hawking warned today.2010 August 9, Stephen Hawking, quotee, “Stephen Hawking: mankind must colonise space or die out”, in The Guardian:
- But their lead lasted just 10 minutes before Roman Pavlyuchenko and Jermain Defoe both headed home in the space of two minutes to wrestle back control.2011 September 29, Jon Smith, “Tottenham 3-1 Shamrock Rovers”, in BBC Sport:
- The street door was open, and we entered a narrow space with washing facilities, curtained off from the courtyard.2000, Ziba Mir-Hosseini, Islam and Gender:
Synonyms of space
21 more synonymsFewer synonyms
Forms of space
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | spaces |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | spaces |
| present participle | spacing |
| past participle | spaced |
| past | spaced |
| Proper noun | |
| plural | Spaces |
Origin of space
From Middle English space, from Anglo-Norman space, variant of espace, espas, et al.; and spaze, variant of espace, from Latin spatium, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peh₂- (“to stretch, to pull”). Partially displaced native Old English rum, whence Modern English room.
Words formed from space
- 3-to-the-em space
- 5-em space
- 5-to-the-em space
- absolute space
- absolute space-time
- action space
- aerospace
- agentspace
- airspace
- alien space bats
- anchor space
- anti-de Sitter space
- anti-space
- antispace
- artspace
- baby space
- backspace
- battlespace
- beamspace
- bedspace
- bispace
- Bloch space
- bootspace
- borderspace
- bottomspace
- brainspace
- breathing-space
- bunkspace
- Calabi-Yau space
- Cartesian space
- Cauchy space
- chatspace
- Chebyshev space
- classifying space
- clearance space
- closure space
- codespace
- color space
- colour space
- colourspace
- confined space
- counter-space
- counterspace
- covering space
- crash space
- crawlspace
- Crookes space
- cyberspace
- dataspace
- deep-space
- de Sitter space
- deskspace
- Destot's space
- diskspace
- domspace
- double-space
- double space
- duospace
- earthspace
- ecospace
Phrases with space
- n space
- em space
- en space
- Lp space
- T₂ space
- air space
- NUT space
- row space
- space age
- space bar
- space dog
- space dot
176 more phrasesFewer phrases
- space gun
- space law
- space oil
- space out
- web space
- 3-em space
- blue space
- dark space
- dead space
- deep space
- dual space
- flat space
- Fock space
- free space
- Haar space
- hair space
- half space
- hard space
- head space
- held space
- hold space
- into space
- kick space
- meat space
- near space
- open space
- pore space
- safe space
- space ages
- space bars
- space bear
- space buns
- space cake
- space case
- Space City
- space dogs
- space dots
- space dust
- space guns
- space junk
- space line
- space race
- space roar
- space rock
- space rule
- space ship
- space suit
- space walk
- space wave
- space work
- swap space
- thin space
- warm space
- word space
- Baire space
- crawl space
- drift space
- empty space
- floor space
- green space
- holds space
- hyper space
- image space
- joint space
- outer space
- phase space
- safer space
- slack space
- sober space
- space alien
- space bears
- space cadet
- space cakes
- space cases
- space cloth
- Space Coast
- space curve
- space disco
- space drive
- space force
- space frame
- space group
- Space Karen
- space lines
- space opera
- space probe
- space races
- space rules
- space ships
- space suits
- space walks
- space waves
- state space
- Stone space
- thick space
- third space
- white space
- affine space
- Banach space
- column space
- danger space
- factor space
- figure space
- kernel space
- latent space
- linear space
- living space
- metric space
- normal space
- object space
- Polish space
- public space
- ringed space
- sample space
- search space
- shared space
- space agency
- space aliens
- space bridge
- space cadets
- space charge
- space colony
- space cowboy
- space curves
- space debris
- space drives
- space dyeing
- space factor
- space flight
- space forces
- space frames
- space groups
- space heater
- space helmet
- space herpes
- space hopper
- space marine
- space motion
- space nation
- space operas
- space probes
- space racism
- space rocket
- space travel
- space vessel
- space weapon
- space writer
- vector space
- visual space
- address space
- compact space
- fishing space
- Hilbert space
- holding space
- liminal space
- loading space
- measure space
- parking space
- problem space
- regular space
- Riemann space
- Sobolev space
- space average
- space biology
- space blanket
- space bridges
- space capsule
- space charges
- space cowboys
- space defence
- space defense
- space docking
- space factors
- space flights
- space heaters
- space heating
Words that rhyme with space
45 more rhymesFewer rhymes
- lace
- replace
- mace
- displace
- bass
- efface
- plaice
- disgrace
- pes
- abase
- debase
- deface
- interlace
- misplace
- retrace
- white space
- bouillabaisse
- dace
- enlace
- grimace
- nominative case
- red in the face
- -ase
- abaisse
- acoustic bass
- aggrace
- Alsace
- apace
- artspace
- encase
- gather pace
- Harbour Grace
- Havre de Grace
- heart of grace
- into space
- Jace
- Jase
- laisse
- misgrace
- Naas
- outpace
- reys
- supplace
- Thrace
- torace
Questions about space
- What does space mean?
- Space means the distance between objects.
- What is space in Hindi?
- Space in Hindi is दिक् (dik), अंतराल (antrāl), जगह (jagah). See Space meaning in Hindi.
- How do you use space in a sentence?
- After all, to go into outer space is not so much worse, if at all, than a polar expedition.
- What part of speech is space?
- Space can be a noun, a verb or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce space?
- Space is pronounced /speɪs/.
- What is the plural of space?
- The plural of space is spaces.
Words near space in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: space (page history and authors); Space (page history and authors); space (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); अंतराळ (Marathi) (page history and authors); അന്തരീക്ഷം (Malayalam) (page history and authors); ಅಗಲ (Kannada) (page history and authors); ਥਾਂ (Punjabi) (page history and authors); અંતરિક્ષ (Gujarati) (page history and authors); ଜାଗା (Odia) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-space.ogg.
Cite this entry: “space.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/space. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.