space
spays
Space (noun) means the vast expanse beyond Earth's atmosphere where stars, planets, and other celestial bodies exist. Example: “Astronauts spend months living and working in space.”
noun
1
The vast expanse beyond Earth's atmosphere where stars, planets, and other celestial bodies exist.
"Astronauts spend months living and working in space."
"The probe travelled through space for many years before reaching its target."
"Children often dream of floating in space as astronauts."
2
An area or extent, physical or otherwise, that something occupies or could occupy.
"There isn't enough space in the garage for another car."
"She needed some space to think things through after the argument."
"The new flat has plenty of space for all our books."
3
A gap between words, characters, or objects.
"Remember to leave a space after each comma."
"There should be a space between the number and the unit."
"He left a wide space between the two chairs."
verb
1
To arrange things with gaps between them.
"Space the seedlings about a foot apart."
"We spaced the tables out so people could walk between them."
"Try to space your meals evenly across the day."
How to use space
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishRoom, distance, or the emptiness beyond Earth — literal or personal.
Common pairings
outer space
personal space
parking space
give someone space
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Word forms
- Plural
- spaces
- Third person singular
- spaces
- Past tense
- spaced
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Astronauts spend months living and working in _____.
Etymology
From Old French espace, from Latin spatium, from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to stretch." It gradually replaced the native Old English word "rum," which survives today as "room."
Synonyms
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Rhymes for space
See all rhymes for space →Frequently asked questions
What does “space” mean?
The word “space” means the vast expanse beyond Earth's atmosphere where stars, planets, and other celestial bodies exist. In plain terms, room, distance, or the emptiness beyond Earth — literal or personal.
How do you pronounce “space”?
“Space” is pronounced spays (/speɪs/ in IPA).
How do you use “space” in a sentence?
Here is “space” used in a sentence: “Astronauts spend months living and working in space.”
What part of speech is “space”?
Depending on how it is used, “space” can be a noun and a verb.
Where does the word “space” come from?
The word “space” comes from Latin. From Old French espace, from Latin spatium, from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to stretch." It gradually replaced the native Old English word "rum," which survives today as "room.".
Is “space” a common word?
“Space” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.
How many meanings does “space” have?
“Space” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the vast expanse beyond Earth's atmosphere where stars, planets, and other celestial bodies exist.
What is the difference between space and the universe?
Space is the vast, near-empty expanse beyond Earth's atmosphere in which everything sits. The universe is the totality of that space plus all its contents — matter, energy, galaxies, and the laws governing them. In short, space is the arena; the universe is the arena and everything happening within it.
Where does space begin?
There's no sharp edge, since the atmosphere thins out gradually. By common convention, space begins at the Kármán line, about 100 kilometres (62 miles) above sea level, where the air is too thin for aircraft to fly and conventional flight gives way to orbital physics. Some agencies use 80 kilometres instead.
Is there sound in space?
No — not in the ordinary way. Sound needs a medium such as air or water to travel through, and space is very nearly a vacuum. Without particles to carry the vibrations, sound cannot propagate, which is why space is often described as silent. Radio waves, being electromagnetic, do travel through it.
Is space completely empty?
Almost, but not entirely. Space is the closest thing to a vacuum we know, yet it still holds sparse gas, dust, radiation, and stray particles drifting between stars and galaxies. Vast regions contain only a few atoms per cubic metre — extraordinarily empty by earthly standards, but never truly nothing.
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