dead space
Americannoun
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space, as in a room, urban area, etc., that is not being used or cannot be used.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
He also recommends paying close attention to visual elements of your story and the editing to cut out dead space.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2023
All that needs to be said is there's no dead space at these farewell parties, and each hour needs to be watched closely and savored fully.
From Salon ● Mar. 26, 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
Both the tree and the succulent turn reddish in the fall, so what would otherwise be a dead space becomes a few weeks of fiery, three-note harmony.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 10, 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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
