space

space¹ W1S1 [speıs] n

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1¦(empty area)¦

2¦(area for particular purpose)¦

3¦(between things)¦

4¦(outside the earth)¦

5¦(where things exist)¦

6¦(time)¦

7¦(empty land)¦

8¦(freedom)¦

9¦(in writing)¦

10¦(in a report/book)¦

11 look/stare/gaze into space

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[Date: 1200-1300; : Old French; Origin: espace, from Latin spatium 'area, room, length of space or time']

1.) ¦(EMPTY AREA)¦[U]

the amount of an area, room, container etc that is empty or available to be used

space for

▪ There's space for a table and two chairs.

▪ How much space is there on each disk?

more/less/enough space

▪ Now that we've got three kids, it'd be nice to have a bit more space.

space to do sth

▪ He had plenty of space to study.

▪ The hedge takes up too much space .

sense/feeling of space

(=the feeling that a place is large and empty, so you can move around easily)

▪ In small homes a single colour scheme can create a sense of space.

2.) ¦(AREA FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSE)¦ [U and C]

an area, especially one used for a particular purpose

▪ a supermarket with 700 free parking spaces

storage/cupboard/shelf space

▪ We really do need more storage space.

▪ the factory's floor space (=the size of the available floor area)

3.) ¦(BETWEEN THINGS)¦

an empty place between two things, or between two parts of something

= ↑gap space between

▪ the space between the house and the garage

▪ Lucy cleared a space on her desk.

▪ There was an empty space where the flowers had been.

4.) ¦(OUTSIDE THE EARTH)¦[U]

the area beyond the Earth where the stars and ↑planets are

in/into space

▪ Who was the first American in space?

▪ creatures from outer space (=far away in space)

space travel/research/programme/exploration

▪ the history of space travel

5.) ¦(WHERE THINGS EXIST)¦[U]

all of the area in which everything exists, and in which everything has a position or direction

▪ the exact point in space where two lines meet

▪ how people of other cultures think about time and space

6.) ¦(TIME)¦

a) in/within the space of sth

within a particular period of time

▪ Mandy had four children in the space of four years.

b) a short space of time

a short period of time

▪ They achieved a lot in a short space of time.

7.) ¦(EMPTY LAND)¦ [U and C]

land, or an area of land that has not been built on

▪ a pleasant town centre with plenty of open space

▪ the wide open spaces of the prairies

▪ the loss of green space in cities

8.) ¦(FREEDOM)¦[U]

the freedom to do what you want or do things on your own, especially in a relationship with someone else

▪ We give each other space in our marriage.

▪ She needed time and space to sort out her life.

9.) ¦(IN WRITING)¦

a) an empty area between written or printed words, lines etc

▪ Leave a space after each number.

b) the width of a ↑typed letter of the alphabet

▪ The word 'the' takes up three spaces.

c) a place provided for you to write your name or other information on a document, piece of paper etc

▪ Please write any comments in the space provided.

10.)¦(IN A REPORT/BOOK)¦[U]

the amount of space in a newspaper, magazine, or book that is used for a particular subject

▪ The story got very little space in the national newspapers.

11.) look/stare/gaze into space

to look straight in front of you without looking at anything in particular, usually because you are thinking

→↑breathing space, ↑personal space,waste of space at ↑waste¹ (5), watch this space at ↑watch¹ (11)

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WORD FOCUS: space

vehicles used in space: spaceship, spacecraft, rocket, (space) shuttle, probe, satellite, space station

someone who travels in space: astronaut, cosmonaut (Russian)

parts of a rocket's journey: countdown, launch, blast-off/take-off/lift-off, leaving the earth's atmosphere, going into orbit, re-entering the earth's atmosphere, splashdown/touchdown

places and things in space: planet, moon, star, sun, satellite, solar system, constellation, galaxy, universe, the cosmos, black hole, quasar, comet, meteor, asteroid

the study of space: astronomy

See also: UFO, NASA, science fiction

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space ²

space² v also space out

1.) [T always + adverb/preposition]

to arrange objects or events so that they have equal spaces or periods of time between them

▪ They used three microphones spaced several yards apart .

▪ Try to space out your classes and study in between.

be evenly spaced

(=with equal spaces)

▪ For security, use three evenly spaced bolts per post.

2.) [i]informal

to stop paying attention and just look in front of you without thinking, especially because you are bored or have taken drugs

▪ I completely spaced out during the lecture.

→↑spaced out