397
distraction
musical notes which do not sound pleasant when heard
together; DISCORD 2 [S;U] a lack of agreement in beliefs, or
between beliefs and actions —nant adj: dissonant opinions
dis·suade /dɪ'sweɪd/ v [T(from)] to advise (someone) against
doing something; persuade not to: I tried to dissuade her
(from getting married). → see also PERSUADE —suasion
/dɪ'sweʒən/ n [U]
dis·taff /'dɪstæf||'dɪstɑːf/ n 1 the stick from which the
thread is pulled in hand spinning 2 on the distaff side
old-fash on the woman's side of the family
dis·tance¹ /'dɪstəns/ n 1 [C;U(to, from, between)] (the amount
of) separation in space or time; the amount of space or time
between two points or events: What is the distance between
London and Glasgow?/from London to Glasgow? | The school
is some distance (=quite far) away. | My office is within (easy)
walking distance of the station. | The dog looked dangerous,
so I decided to keep my distance. (=stay far enough away
from it) | I can hardly remember him at this distance of/in
time. | These planes can cover long distances in a very short
time. | My office is within spitting distance of (=very near)
Westminster. → see also LONG-DISTANCE, MIDDLE-
DISTANCE 2 [(the) S] a distant point or place: You can see the
ancient ruins in the distance. | It looks quite nice from a
distance, but when you get close you can see that it's pretty
awful. | The pyramids are visible at a distance of several
kilometres. 3 [C;U] social separation or coldness in personal
relations: There has been a great distance between us since our
quarrel. | My father always kept me at a distance. (=refused to
become too friendly with me)
distance² v [T(from)] to separate (especially oneself), espe-
cially in the mind or feelings: to distance oneself from the
actions of one's government
'distance learning n [U] BrE the study of a subject by
students who do not attend classes but use, for example,
television, computers, and local teachers → see also OPEN
COLLEGE, OPEN UNIVERSITY
dis·tant /'dɪstənt/ adj 1 [(from)] separate in space or time; far
off: distant lands | the distant sound of a bell | in the dim and
distant past | We hope to go there in the not-too-distant
future. (=fairly soon but not very soon) | [after n] 30 miles
distant (from the village) 2 not very closely related: a distant
connection between two ideas | The two boys are distant
relations. 3 showing lack of friendliness; RESERVED: a distant
manner
dis·tant·ly /'dɪstəntli/ adv 1 not closely: Those two people/
ideas are distantly related. 2 in a manner that shows inat-
tention, social separation, or lack of friendliness: She looked
at me distantly.
dis·taste /dɪs'teɪst/ n [S;U(for)] a not very strong feeling of
dislike, especially of something unpleasant, unattractive, or
offensive: She looked at his shabby clothes with distaste. | a
distaste for town life
dis·taste·ful /dɪs'teɪstfəl/ adj [(to)] unpleasant; disagreeable;
causing distaste: a rather distasteful duty | a distasteful joke
→ see TASTELESS (USAGE) —ly adv —ness n [U]
Di Ste·fa·no, Al·fre·do /di steˈfa:nəu, ælˈfreɪdəu/ (1926–)
a footballer born in Argentina, thought to be one of the
greatest footballers of all time. He played international
football for Argentina in the 1940s before moving to Spain
where he played for Real Madrid in the 1950s.
dis·tem·per¹ /dɪ'stempər/ n [U] especially BrE paint used in
the past for walls and other surfaces and which can be made
thinner by mixing with water —distemper v [T] to distem-
per the walls
distemper² n [U] an infectious disease of animals, especially
dogs, causing fever, disordered breathing, and general weak-
ness
dis·tem·pered /dɪ'stempərd||-ərd/ adj lit or old use mad: a
distempered mind
dis·tend /dɪ'stend/ v [I;T] fml to (cause to) swell because of
pressure from inside: His stomach was distended because of
lack of food. —tension /dɪ'stenən/ n [U]
dis·til usually -till AmE /dɪ'stl/ v -ll- [T] 1 a) to make (a
liquid) into gas and then make the gas into liquid: Water can
be made pure by distilling it. | distilled water b) to make
(alcoholic drinks) by this method: Brandy is distilled from
wine. 2 to take and separate the most important parts of (a
book, a subject etc): The televised interview was distilled from
16 hours of film. —lation /ˌdɪstɪˈleɪʃən/ n [C;U]
dis·til·ler /dɪ'stɪlər/ n a person or company that distils,
especially one that produces strong alcoholic drink
dis·til·le·ry /dɪ'stɪləri/ n a factory or business firm where
alcoholic drinks are produced by distilling: a whisky distill-
ery
dis·tinct /dɪ'stŋkt/ adj 1 [(from)] clearly different or separate:
Those two ideas are quite distinct (from each other). | The
party split into two distinct groups. | The rule only applies to
nationals of the country as distinct from foreign visi-
tors. 2 clearly seen, heard, understood etc; noticeable: a
distinct smell of burning | There's a distinct possibility that
she'll be appointed as a director. —ly adv: I distinctly
(=clearly) remember telling you to come. —ness n [U]
Anything clearly noticed is distinct: There's a
distinct smell of beer in this room. A thing or quality that
is clearly different from others of its kind is distinctive or
distinct from them: Beer has a very distinctive smell. It's
quite distinct from the smell of wine.
dis·tinc·tion /dɪ'stɪŋkʃən/ n 1 [C;U(between)] the fact of
being distinct; clear difference: I can't see any distinction
between these two cases. | It's important to draw a distinc-
tion between the policies of the leaders and the views of their
supporters. | a rather fine distinction (=one that is difficult
to notice) 2 [S;U] the quality of being unusually good;
excellence: a writer of real distinction 3 [C] a special mark
of honour, fame, or excellence: These are the highest distinc-
tions that have ever been given by our government. | She got a
distinction in her chemistry exam. | This country enjoys the
dubious distinction of having the highest rate of inflation in
the world.
dis·tinc·tive /dɪ'stɪŋktɪv/ adj clearly marking a person or
thing as different from others: She has a very distinctive way
of walking. | a distinctive flavour → see DISTINCT (USAGE)
—ly adv —ness n [U]
dis·tin·guish /dɪ'stɪŋgwɪʃ/ v 1 [T not in progressive forms] to
see, hear, or notice as being separate or distinct; recognize
clearly: I can distinguish them by their uniforms. | Can you
distinguish the different buildings at such a distance? 2 [I[(be-
tween)];T(from) not in progressive forms] to recognize differences
(between): It's important to distinguish between compound
interest and simple interest. | Small children can't distinguish
right from wrong. 3 [T not in progressive forms] fml to make
different: Elephants are distinguished by their long
trunks. 4 distinguish oneself to behave or perform notice-
ably well: She distinguished herself in the debate.
dis·tin·guish·a·ble /dɪ'stɪŋgwɪʃəbəl/ adj that can be
clearly or easily distinguished: A black object is not easily
distinguishable on a dark night. | Those two objects/ideas are
not easily distinguishable (from each other). → opposite
INDISTINGUISHABLE
dis·tin·guished /dɪ'stɪŋgwɪʃt/ adj [(for)] having excellent
quality or great fame and respect: a distinguished
performance/politician | distinguished for his scientific
achievements | a distinguished-looking old man → opposite
UNDISTINGUISHED; see FAMOUS (USAGE)
dis·tort /dɪ'stɔːrt||-ɔːt/ v [T] 1 to give a false or dishonest
account of; twist out of the true meaning: Stop distorting
what I've said. | The newspapers gave a distorted account of
what had happened. 2 to twist out of a natural, usual, or
original shape or condition: a face distorted by/with anger | a
radio that distorts sound —ion /dɪ'stɔːrʃən||-ɔː-/ n [C;U]
dis·tract /dɪ'strækt/ v [T(from)] to take (a person's attention)
off something, especially for a short time: She was distracted
(from her work) by the noise outside. | a distracting influence |
The celebrations distracted public attention from the govern-
ment's problems.
dis·tract·ed /dɪ'stræktɪd/ adj [(with)] very anxious and
unable to think clearly because one is troubled about many
things: a distracted look | distracted with worry about her
daughter —ly adv
dis·trac·tion /dɪ'strækʃən/ n 1 [C] something or someone
that distracts, especially an amusement: There are too many
distractions here to work properly. 2 [U] an anxious confused
state of mind: The child's continual crying drove me to