headroom
Americannoun
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Nautical. the clear space between two decks.
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Also called headway.
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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.
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clear vertical space above one’s head, as in a vehicle or room.
plenty of headroom for passengers.
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Audio. dynamic headroom.
noun
Etymology
Origin of headroom
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Working with his usual cinematographer Łukasz Żal, Pawlikowski prefers a static camera, leaving plenty of headroom above the characters so that they feel entombed by their surroundings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
As a result, the IFS—a nonpartisan research body that focuses on the budget—estimates that the government’s headroom will likely be little changed at around 20 billion pounds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
The key metric for judging whether the government is likely to stick to its targets is the so-called headroom it has to meet that goal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
The headroom figure is important, because no company wants to cut its dividend payout.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 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
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
