space
/speɪs/ IELTSAcademic
noun
- 1.
An area that is empty or not filled. It can be a place, room, or opening between things.
- There is enough space for one more chair.
- Please leave space between the lines.
- The box has very little space inside.
- 2.
The area beyond the Earth, where the stars and planets are.
- Astronauts travel in space.
- The rocket went into space.
- She wants to study space science.
verb
To put things at a distance from each other, so there is room between them.
- Space the plants evenly.
- Please space the chairs out.
- We spaced the meetings a week apart.
Adinary Nuance
Space is broader than room, gap, or area. Use room when you mean enough capacity, like in a bag or a schedule. Use gap for a small opening, and space for the general idea of empty area or distance. In modern English, space also means outer space, which room and gap do not.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- không gian
- Spanish
- espacio
- Chinese
- 空间
- Japanese
- 空間
- Korean
- 공간
Etymology
Space comes from Old French espace, from Latin spatium, meaning 'room' or 'distance'. It entered English in the Middle Ages and kept both physical and outer-space meanings.
Common phrases
outer spacespace travela parking spacespace between
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between space and room?
- Space means empty area in general. Room often means enough space for something to fit.
- Is space used for outer space?
- Yes. Space commonly means the area beyond Earth, especially in science and news.
- Can space be a verb?
- Yes. It means to put things farther apart from each other.
- Is space a common word in IELTS writing?
- Yes. It is common in academic and everyday English, especially for describing layout or distance.