Phrase guide

taxicab distance

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌtæksikæb ˈdɪst(ə)n(t)s/
  • General-American: /ˌtæksiˌkæb ˈdɪst(ə)n(t)s/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪstəns

1

noun

Meaning 1

The distance between two points on a grid, where the only path allowed is along horizontal and vertical lines.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: geometry, mathematics, sciences

Examples

  • The taxicab distance between (0,0) and (3,4) is 7.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: blockwise distance, city block distance, Manhattan distance, taxi distance

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From taxicab + distance, referring to the route taken by a taxi through a grid of intersecting streets.

Across languages

Translations

2 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: korttelietäisyys — distance between two points on a grid, where the path is along horizontal and vertical lines
  • French: distance de Manhattan — distance between two points on a grid, where the path is along horizontal and vertical lines