dead space

American  

[ded spays] / ˈdɛd ˈspeɪs /

noun

dead spaces plural

1. space, as in a room, urban area, etc., that is not being used or cannot be used.

2. Physiology. the volume of air in those parts of the respiratory tract in which there is no exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide, namely in the nose, trachea, and bronchi, as opposed to the bronchioles.

3. Medicine/Medical. in a syringe, the space between the bottom of the plunger and the syringe's tapered tip, in which unused product remains after an injection.

4. Photography. the area in a picture or image that does not draw the viewer's eye because it is not dominated by the subject and its position, gaze, or movement.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• dead spaces
  plural

Example Sentences

In Qiu’s vision, the project reclaims dead space in the middle of bustling neighborhoods for the public good.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2025

Seattle might have made it a half second before an outburst of screams filled the dead space, leaving at least one half of Les Twins, two of Beyoncé’s more famous backup dancers, looking dismayed.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 15, 2023

Many modern xylems have intricate cross sections that look like gappy rings, crosses, diamonds or hearts, with dead space called pith separating bundles of xylem tissue.

From Scientific American • Jan. 27, 2023

The banter between Stoppard and Stalker creates much of the film's dead space because these scenes fail to move the thin plot forward nor do they develop the characters.

From Salon • Sep. 16, 2022

In contrast, Holmes’s building was dead space, like the corner of a room where the gaslight could not reach.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson