Lebensraum

[ley-buhns-roum, -buhnz-]

noun

(often lowercase)

1. additional territory considered by a nation, especially Nazi Germany, to be necessary for national survival or for the expansion of trade.

2. any additional space needed in order to act, function, etc.

Lebensraum

/ ˈleɪbənzˌraʊm /

noun

1. territory claimed by a nation or state on the grounds that it is necessary for survival or growth

Word History and Origins

Origin of Lebensraum¹

1900–05; < German: living space

Word History and Origins

Origin of Lebensraum¹

German, literally: living space

Example Sentences

In fact, the reasons that Hitler himself set out at the time overwhelmingly emphasized the quest for Lebensraum, the need to replace the raw materials and goods lost to the British blockade, and the hope of deterring the U.S.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Nazi Germany's justification for the utopian vision of the "Aryan Lebensraum" expansion provides an obvious example.

Read more on Salon

Some of the men in the White Rose were drafted as medics to the Russian front and, passing through Warsaw on the way, witnessed the far-flung horrors of Germany’s hunger for “Lebensraum,” or living space, and racial exclusivism.

Read more on New York Times

Discussions of Putin frequently led back to Hitler and Stalin; talk of Russia’s military aggression beyond its borders conjured German Lebensraum.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The film, for that reason, centers on a politically explosive memo, outlining Hitler’s global vision for “Lebensraum” or “living space.”

Read more on Washington Post