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room

room

∞ 1.0
Space available to do something or to move
  • noun
  • /ruːm/
: espacio
  • Despite rumor, there's plenty of space in the living room, even with my chair.
  • room for improvement
  • make room for
  • leave room for

If you could give me a little bit of room here, OK?

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Examples

  • But my advice is to leave some room for those plans to change.

  • There are a few areas with my student aides where I see room for improvement next year.

    Academic text (2013)
  • If you could give me a little bit of room here, OK?

  • And I always leave early to leave room for getting lost.

  • But we all have room to improve.

  • Is there room in this new plan for sleeping?

  • A corrupt system does not make room for the truth.

  • Yet even within this conventional framework, there was some room for ambiguity and new attitudes.

    Academic text (2013)
  • If you could give me a little bit of room here, OK?

  • Even with these changes, many organizations continue to have room to improve their capacity.

Synonyms

space
vsroom
∞ 1.0

An empty area available for use

is focused on availability for movement or chance to act
17 3.8

Extra space or time that lets you relax and think

is a general availability for movement or opportunity
elbow room
vsroom
  • Informal
5 4.1

Space to move or act freely without feeling crowded

is the broader idea of available area for movement or opportunity
elbowroom
vsroom
1 4.0

Space that lets you move or act freely

is broader meaning available area for movement or opportunity

Antonyms

89 5.9

A state of being kept in a small closed space and unable to move freely

8 2.1

A large number of people in a small place that makes it feel cramped

Idioms

92 3.8

Not enough space or chance for what you want

26 4.5

An obvious problem that people avoid talking about

12 8.3

Tell people who kiss or cuddle in public to do it privately

5 3.4

Make a room feel happier and more lively

4 3.8

Make a room feel happy and friendly when someone arrives

to read the room
  • Informal
2 5.3

To notice how people in a group feel and act and change what you say or do

2 6.6

An obvious problem that everyone knows but avoids talking about

Make something not completely certain or convincing

To reach the same temperature as the room after being cold or hot

Almost no chance of being wrong

Compounds

571 1.0

A room in a house where people relax and sit together, for example to watch TV

301 1.0

A private room where hotel guests sleep and use a bathroom

211 1.0

A room in a house where people eat meals together

190 1.6

A room in a gym or workplace where people change clothes and keep personal things safe

186 2.4

The hospital area where doctors immediately treat people with serious injuries or sudden illness

129 1.8

A room where people change clothes, for example in a shop or theatre

106 1.3

A room in places like a hospital or station where people sit and wait

101 2.0

A room in an office where people meet to discuss work

96 1.2

A room with toilets and sinks for men to use

94 3.4

A room at the back of a shop or office used for private meetings with a few people

81 1.0

A public toilet for women

control room
  • Specialized
78 3.4

A room where people watch and control machines like cameras or power equipment

64 1.0

A room in a motel where people sleep for a short time

chat room
  • Texting
58 3.0

An online place where people talk in real time about a topic

dorm room
  • Informal
57 1.6

A bedroom in a building where students live, often shared with others

51 3.2

A room in a hospital where doctors do surgery

40 4.1

The room on a ship, train, or in a building where the engine and other machines are kept and run

The usual comfortable indoor temperature is about 20 to 22 degrees Celsius or 68 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit

36 1.3

A room in a hospital where patients stay to get care

33 1.6

A room where you keep things you do not use often

31 1.0

A room in a house where people relax and spend time together

A table in a dining room where people eat meals

28 5.1

A room where people meet to plan important actions during a crisis or campaign

25 1.2

A room at the front of a house where people sit, talk, and relax

wiggle room
  • Informal
22 4.1

Some freedom to change plans when needed

drawing room
  • Archaic
21 4.2

A formal room where guests are received and entertained

rec room
  • Informal
21 3.3

A room in a house for games and relaxing

21 1.6

A room in a house where people sit and talk

20 2.8

A small bathroom for women in public places or for guests at home

Extra space or time that lets you relax and think

14 3.7

A room filled with hot steam where people sit to relax

14 1.4

A room with games like table tennis, pool, or video games for fun

14 2.3

A room at a school or university where people relax, talk, and study together

12 2.8

Space for people to stand when all seats are full

12 5.1

A room in a police station where officers meet for roll call and assignments

11 1.0

A room made and decorated for a baby

9 2.2

A room in a home where someone sews clothes and fabric

9 4.6

A large formal room in a palace where a king or queen sits for ceremonies

9 1.0

A room in a house for watching TV

9 1.0

A room with several showers for people to wash, like at a gym or pool

8 2.6

A quiet room in a library where people read or study

A hospital room where nurses watch patients as they wake from anesthesia

7 1.0

A room in a house where people eat meals together

A hotel room that shares a wall and sometimes has a door to another room

clean room
  • Specialized
7 6.4

A room where people keep the air and surfaces very clean for making microchips and other sensitive equipment

7 4.6

A room where people edit films or tapes by removing unwanted parts

7 5.2

A room in a barracks where soldiers sleep and keep their things

7 7.7

An informal name for a bathroom for men or boys

locker-room
  • Offensive
7 7.9

Rude and rough talk or behaviour among sports players in a changing room

rubber room
  • Informal
6 8.8

A padded room that keeps violent or very upset people safe

Parts of a film or book removed before the final version is released

A room in a house or hotel where visitors wait and the host meets them

smoking room
  • Archaic
5 2.6

A room in a hotel or club where people can smoke

elbow room
  • Informal
5 4.1

Space to move or act freely without feeling crowded

smoke-filled room
  • Literature
5 7.2

A private place where a small group makes secret decisions, often in politics

5 2.1

A classroom where students meet each morning for attendance and school notices with their teacher

rumpus room
  • Australian
5 5.5

A room in a house for noisy play, games, and parties

4 1.0

A small room with a toilet for people to use

4 1.9

The price for staying one night in a hotel

A room with a table for playing pool

4 1.0

A bedroom for a child

4 3.8

A basement room that has a furnace to heat the building

3 2.1

A matching table with chairs used for eating in a dining room

3 2.8

A room in a shop where staff keep extra goods before they go on sale

A large sleeping room in a school or other place shared by several people

A room with games and space for relaxing and having fun

sleeping room
  • Specialized
2 1.0

A room for sleeping

morning room
  • Archaic
2 7.0

A room in a house facing east that people use for sitting during the day

A room in a house for watching TV with others

white room
  • Specialized
2 6.1

A very clean room that is free of dust and germs for lab work

2 1.0

A lamp that makes a room bright enough to see

1 2.1

A group of matching furniture for a living room like a sofa and chairs

1 4.0

A private room where mothers use a device to remove and store breast milk

How Much Space

spaciousness
1 4.1
room
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

room singular
rooms plural

Etymology

Room comes from the same old English root rum meaning 'space', which helps explain phrases like 'there is room for improvement' — they mean there is 'space' to change or do more.