standing room
Americannoun
-
space in which to stand, as in a theater, stadium, or the like.
-
accommodation for standing.
Etymology
Origin of standing room
First recorded in 1595–1605
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.
The day of the vote, it was standing room only — residents lined the walls and some who couldn’t fit were listening from outside the doors.
From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2026
On Tuesday of last week, Swalwell bounded onto the stage at a Sacramento town hall, hugging attendees in the standing room only crowd as “California” by Phantom Planet played.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
In Vienna, it tasted like history, although a Viennese couple next to me in standing room complained of artificiality.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2025
The main hall has not been full for speeches by members of the shadow cabinet but Badenoch said her own speech had been "standing room only".
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2025
"The crowd has spread into the parking lot. Same with the local church. I hear it's standing room only these days."
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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.
