wiggle room

American

noun

room to maneuver; latitude.

wiggle room British

noun

informal scope for freedom of action or thought

"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

Etymology

Origin of wiggle room

First recorded in 1985–90

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.

See Examples For:

wiggle room

Even the plans Burnham has hinted at so far could easily exceed the available wiggle room.

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

Carvana sets a single, nationwide price for each vehicle—no wiggle room.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

Beyond seasonal deals, experts recommend buying ground beef in bulk if you have the freezer space and wiggle room in your budget.

From MarketWatch ● May 22, 2026

But on the weeks when I have a little more energy — a little more calendar wiggle room, a little more curiosity — I try to widen my grocery orbit.

From Salon ● May 22, 2026

Between association with his father and their own memories of him as a feverish invalid, he had some wiggle room.

From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023