Definition

1. Noun:

   • An empty or available area: A continuous area or expanse that is free, available, or unoccupied.
   • The physical universe beyond Earth's atmosphere: The vast, seemingly infinite expanse that exists beyond the atmosphere of a planet, especially Earth.
   • A period of time: An interval or duration of time.
   • The freedom to develop or exist: The opportunity or scope to think, act, or develop freely.
   • A blank area in text: A gap between written or printed words, lines, or characters.

2. Verb:

   • To position with gaps in between: To arrange objects or events with intervals between them.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • Please leave a space for your signature at the bottom of the form. (Referring to an empty area)
  • The rocket was launched into space. (Referring to the universe beyond Earth)
  • He accomplished a lot in a short space of time. (Referring to a period)
  • Children need space to grow and learn. (Referring to freedom/scope)
  • In typing, you press the bar to create a space. (Referring to a blank in text)

• Verb:

  • Space the chairs two meters apart for safety.
  • The manager spaced the meetings throughout the week.

Advanced Usage

• "to watch one's space": To be mindful of the physical area around oneself or one's personal boundaries.

  • In a crowded elevator, it's polite to watch your space.

• "a waste of space": Used to describe something or someone considered useless or unproductive.

  • That broken old shed is just a waste of space in the yard.

Variants and Related Words

• Spacing (n): The amount of space between things.

  • The spacing between the lines of text was too narrow.

• Spacious (adj): Having a lot of space; roomy.

  • They moved to a more spacious apartment.

• Spacecraft / Spaceship (n): A vehicle used for travel in outer space.

• Outer space (n): The region beyond Earth's atmosphere.

Synonyms

• Noun: Room, area, expanse, gap, interval, cosmos, universe.
• Verb: Separate, interval, arrange.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Space out:

  • To place things at regular intervals with gaps.

    • Space out the seedlings when you plant them.
  • (Informal) To become inattentive or lose focus.

    • I'm sorry, I spaced out for a moment. What did you say?

• Space (something) apart: To separate things by a specific distance.

  • The fence posts are spaced six feet apart.

Related Idioms

• "to be in a world of one's own space": To be so absorbed in one's thoughts as to be unaware of one's surroundings.

  • She was in a world of her own space, staring out the window.

• "the final frontier": A poetic term for outer space, emphasizing its vastness and mystery.

  • For many scientists, space remains the final frontier.

Noun

1. (printing) a block of type without a raised letter; used for spacing between words or sentences
2. one of the areas between or below or above the lines of a musical staff
   • the spaces are the notes F-A-C-E
3. a blank area
   • write your name in the space provided
4. the interval between two times
   • the distance from birth to death
   • it all happened in the space of 10 minutes
5. a blank character used to separate successive words in writing or printing
   • he said the space is the most important character in the alphabet
6. any location outside the Earth's atmosphere
   • the astronauts walked in outer space without a tether
   • the first major milestone in space exploration was in 1957, when the USSR's Sputnik 1 orbited the Earth
7. an area reserved for some particular purpose
   • the laboratory's floor space
8. an empty area (usually bounded in some way between things)
   • the architect left space in front of the building
   • they stopped at an open space in the jungle
   • the space between his teeth
9. the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
   • they tested his ability to locate objects in space
   • the boundless regions of the infinite

Verb

1. place at intervals
   • Space the interviews so that you have some time between the different candidates