headroom

American  

[hed-room, -room] / ˈhɛdˌrum, -ˌrʊm /

Or head room

noun

1. Nautical. the clear space between two decks.

2. Also called headway. 

   1. clear vertical space, as between the head and sill of a doorway, the ceiling and floor of a room, or the ceiling of a vehicular passageway and a vehicle roof, as to allow passage or comfortable occupancy.

      over 7.5 feet of headroom in the attic;

      a covered bridge with limited headroom.

   2. clear vertical space above one’s head, as in a vehicle or room.

      plenty of headroom for passengers.

3. Audio. dynamic headroom.

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headroom British  

/ -ˌruːm, ˈhɛdˌrʊm /

noun

1. the height of a bridge, room, etc; clearance

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Etymology

Origin of headroom

First recorded in 1850–55; head + room

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

headroom

Earlier, she had said that she wished to give the Sparks salary headroom to build a team around her.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026

The NAO says that the uncertain nature of service charge increases "poses the greatest risk to households whose initial affordability assessments leave them with limited financial headroom".

From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2026

It says the 85% rule will "allow clubs that do not regularly participate in European competitions to have sufficient headroom to compete for qualification".

From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026

Verizon’s dividend yield of 5.54% is the highest on the list, with a FCF yield estimate implying headroom of 4.31%.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 7, 2026

Our house sat on concrete stilts that allowed enough headroom underneath for us to stake out play areas with clearly defined boundaries.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago

Related Words

• area
• arena
• capacity
• distance
• field
• location
• slot
• spot
• territory
• zone