elbowroom

[ el-boh-room, -room ]
/ ˈɛl boʊˌrum, -ˌrʊm /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR elbowroom ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

ample room; space in which to move freely.
scope; opportunity: a job with elbowroom.

QUIZZES

DON’T VACILLATE! VANQUISH THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

It’d be a real faux pas to miss this quiz on the words from August 3–9, 2020!
Question 1 of 7
What does “vacillate” mean?
to waver in mind or opinion; be indecisive or irresolute.
to cause to be empty or unoccupied.
to assent tacitly; agree; consent.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of elbowroom

First recorded in 1530–40; elbow + room
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to elbowroom

edge, limit, surplus, action, area, space, spectrum, field, length, scope, territory, dimension, matter, place, slot, arena, capacity, zone, spot, location

British Dictionary definitions for elbowroom

elbowroom
/ (ˈɛlbəʊˌruːm, -ˌrʊm) /

noun

sufficient scope to move or function
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with elbowroom

elbow room

Enough space to move about, as in Two hundred on the stage? There won't be any elbow room. This term alludes to having enough room to extend one's elbows. [Late 1500s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.