elbow room
elbow room — noun
1. enough physical space that allows you to move, change position, or carry out tas
enough physical space that allows you to move, change position, or carry out tasks without bumping into things or feeling crowded.
The rush-hour train was so packed that passengers had hardly any elbow room.
elbow room in a crowded vehicle
Mei chose a larger apartment so her children would have more elbow room to play.
have more elbow room to [activity]
In the narrow alley, there was barely enough elbow room for two people to walk side by side.
The team moved to a bigger office because they needed more elbow room for their equipment.
Theo hung his coat on the back of the chair, leaving himself no elbow room to eat comfortably.
Leila struggled to eat at the tiny table because there was no elbow room between the diners.
Ravi cleared his desk to create more elbow room for the new drawing tablet.
- space
broader and more general; 'elbow room' specifically suggests enough space to move without feeling crowded
- room
very close in meaning; 'room' is slightly more common in everyday speech, while 'elbow room' adds a physical, bodily feel
- breathing space
more figurative; can mean a pause or break, whereas 'elbow room' is always about space or freedom
文法句型
have/get/give/need + elbow room
enough/plenty of/little + elbow room
用法筆記
This sense covers a range of physical-space situations: moving around freely in a room or vehicle, having enough width at a table or desk to use your elbows, and having adequate room to work without hitting nearby objects or people.
常見錯誤
2. enough freedom to make your own decisions or take action without being restricte
enough freedom to make your own decisions or take action without being restricted by rules, supervision, or other external limits.
The new manager gave her team elbow room to try their own ideas.
give [someone] elbow room to [verb]
Omar felt he needed more elbow room at work to develop creative projects.
need more elbow room at work
Once the contract was signed, the company had little elbow room to change the payment terms.
The school gave teachers more elbow room to design their own lesson plans this year.
Sofia wanted a role that offered her some elbow room to make decisions on her own.
Priya's supervisor offered her enough elbow room to run the project on her own terms.
Without some elbow room, the director said she could not make the film the way she imagined it.
- leeway
very similar, but 'leeway' focuses on the allowable degree of deviation; 'elbow room' focuses on having space to act freely
- freedom
broader and more general; 'elbow room' carries a sense of being released from unwanted constraints
- scope
emphasises the range of possibilities rather than the absence of restriction
- restriction
a rule or limit that prevents free action
文法句型
give/provide + elbow room
have/need/want + elbow room
elbow room to + infinitive
用法筆記
This sense is figurative and is common in business, legal, and organisational contexts. The freedom can involve either the power to make independent choices (freedom TO do something) or the absence of external restrictions that would block action (freedom FROM interference). Subject is often a person, team, department, or company receiving or lacking the freedom to act.