elbowroom

[ el-boh-room, -room ]

/ ˈɛl boʊˌrum, -ˌrʊm /

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See synonyms for elbowroom on Thesaurus.com

noun

ample room; space in which to move freely.

scope; opportunity: a job with elbowroom.

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

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Origin of elbowroom

First recorded in 1530–40; elbow + room

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use elbowroom in a sentence

Toomey glides around the room like a Brazilian capoeira dancer.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze|Lizzie Crocker|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
One day he and some of his roommates were cleaning their room and one of the guys threw the dustpan out into the hall.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Marvin and I leave the poolside and go into his dining room.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The resources were what you might expect: Dining room, a media center, a library, a TV room, a meeting room, a computer room.
His First Day Out Of Jail After 40 Years: Adjusting To Life Outside|Justin Rohrlich|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Barry showed me his room—a one bedroom with a killer view of Riverbank State Park and the Hudson.
His First Day Out Of Jail After 40 Years: Adjusting To Life Outside|Justin Rohrlich|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The big room at King's Warren Parsonage was already fairly well filled.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
In the drawing-room things went on much as they always do in country drawing-rooms in the hot weather.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Kind of a reception-room in there—guess I know a reception-room from a hole in the wall.
Boys and Girls Bookshelf; a Practical Plan of Character Building, Volume I (of 17)|Various
His lordship retired shortly to his study, Hetton and Mr. Haggard betook themselves to the billiard-room.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
When his lordship retired early, as was his custom, the other men adjourned once more to the billiard-room.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills

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

Other 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]

elbowroom

Origin of elbowroom

Words related to elbowroom

How to use elbowroom in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for elbowroom

Other Idioms and Phrases with elbowroom