Meanings
plural Manhattan distances
- countableuncountablegeometrySynonym of taxicab distance (“the distance between two points on a grid, where the only path allowed is along horizontal and vertical lines”).First known use late 1970s
Synonyms: blockwise distance, city block distance, taxi distance, taxicab distance
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSynonym of taxicab distance (“the distance between two points on a grid, where the only path allowed is along horizontal and vertical lines”).
Origin
From Manhattan + distance, referring to the gridlike street geography of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States.
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with Manhattan distance
Cite this entry
Manhattan distance. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Manhattan%20distance
“Manhattan distance.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Manhattan%20distance. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Manhattan distance,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Manhattan%20distance.
Source: Manhattan distance on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.