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Glite Dictionary
😌 A short break 📄 Debt relief period
breathing space

breathing space

4.3
A period by law when debt payments pause and lenders cannot collect
  • noun
  • /ˈbriːðɪŋ speɪs/
  • UK
translation icon : período de gracia
  • The new law provides a breathing space for struggling families.

Examples

  • He applied for a court-ordered breathing space to give him time to seek debt advice and restructure payments.

  • Many people need breathing space to manage their debts effectively.

  • The new law gives struggling households a twelve-week breathing space from creditor enforcement.

  • During the breathing space, lenders cannot start or continue most debt collection and enforcement actions.

  • The new law created a breathing space for families struggling with their debts, allowing them to catch up on payments.

  • Thanks to the recent regulations, borrowers now have a breathing space in which they can pause repayments without penalty.

  • The government implemented a breathing space policy, providing citizens time to manage their financial obligations during the pandemic.

Synonyms

breathing room
vsbreathing space
16 3.8

Extra space or time that lets you relax and think

is a legally protected pause in debts and creditor actions

How Long

moratorium
  • Formal
45 8.5
to reprieve
1 6.8
breathing space
  • UK
4.3
pause
192 1.0

Surface Forms

breathing space singular
breathing spaces plural

Morphology

breathing + space

The phrase literally evokes 'space to breathe' — a short interval or respite — so a B1 learner who knows 'breathing' and 'space' can infer it means a temporary pause or relief. The compositional, metaphorical logic is common cross-linguistically and directly maps to the MWE's core meaning, with the legal specifics being an extension rather than a departure from that sense.

Etymology

Breathing space in law uses the same image: it is like giving someone room to 'breathe' by stopping debt collectors and other actions for a while so they can sort things out. That's why it means 'a legally protected pause'.