INDEX:
a space that is available to use
1. space
2. to provide space for something
3. ways of saying how much space there is somewhere
4. when there is not a lot of space
a space between two things
5. a space between two things
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ AREA
◆◆◆
1. space
▷ space /speɪs/ [countable/uncountable noun]
an empty area that can be used or filled by things or people :
▪ I wish we had more space in our office.
▪ There’s a space on the form where you write the name of your school.
space for
▪ We don’t have enough space for all our furniture.
space to do something
▪ Could you find me a space to store these boxes in?
storage/closet/disk etc space
▪ Our apartment is small, and doesn’t have much storage space.
living/parking space
▪ Tens of thousands of acres of farmland are swallowed up each year by developers seeking living space for the city’s fast-growing population.
office space
▪ We help corporations to relocate, and give them advice on how to maximize office space.
empty space
▪ Where Marion’s photo had once been was now an empty space.
green
space where there are grass and trees
▪ The city would be unbearable in the summer without its green spaces.
open space
space where there are no buildings
▪ London’s parks and open spaces
▪ the wide open spaces of the American West
▷ room /ruːm, rʊm/ [uncountable noun]
enough space available to put things in, or to use for a particular purpose :
▪ We can’t sit there, there’s not enough room.
have room for
▪ Do you have room for this in your bag?
leave room for
make sure there is enough room for
▪ Leave room for people to get by.
room to do something
▪ He didn’t think he had room to pass the car in front.
room to spare
some room available
▪ They had no room to spare in their car, so we had to take a taxi.
▷ leg room /ˈleg ruːm/ [uncountable noun]
space for your legs, especially in a vehicle :
▪ I enjoy flying Air Canada, because they give you plenty of leg room.
▷ elbow room /ˈelbəʊ ruːm/ [uncountable noun] informal
space to move or work easily :
▪ They stood in the crowd, fighting for elbow room.
▪ In October the museums and art galleries are less crowded, and there’s more elbow room in restaurants.
▷ floorspace also floor space /ˈflɔːʳspeɪs/ [uncountable noun]
the area of the floor of a room, especially the area that can be used :
▪ The workshop is quite big but there’s not much floorspace.
▪ There was just enough floor space for a desk, a chair, and a filing cabinet.
2. to provide space for something
▷ make room /ˌmeɪk ˈruːm/ [verb phrase]
to remove or move someone or something in order to provide space for another person or thing :
make room for
▪ The theater was torn down in the early '80s, to make room for the Horton Plaza Shopping Center.
▪ The campers made room for us around the fire.
▪ There are two more people coming -- can you make room for them to sit down?
▷ clear a space /ˌklɪər ə ˈspeɪs/ [verb phrase]
to move things, especially things that were untidy, to provide a space for something :
▪ She cleared a space on her desk to put her computer.
▪ The gardener was clearing a space so he could plant the young seedlings.
▷ make way /ˌmeɪk ˈweɪ/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if a crowd makes way for someone or something, it divides to make a space for that person or thing to pass :
▪ If you can all make way please, so we can get through.
make way for
▪ The onlookers stepped back to make way for the ambulance to pass.
3. ways of saying how much space there is somewhere
▷ hold /həʊld/ [transitive verb]
if a container or room holds a particular number or amount, there is space for that number or amount :
▪ This jug holds about a pint.
▪ The hotel dining room can hold up to 50 people.
▪ The gas tank on a small car should hold at least six gallons.
▷ take /teɪk/ [transitive verb not in progressive or passive]
to only have enough space to contain a particular number of things, people etc or a particular amount of something :
▪ My car can only take five people.
▪ The freezer will take about 50 litres of ice cream.
▪ I’ll have to throw out some clothes - the closet can’t take any more.
▷ seat /siːt/ [transitive verb]
if a vehicle, room, or table seats a particular number of people, there is enough space for that number of people to sit :
▪ The auditorium seats 500 people.
▪ The Boeing 747 seats 400-425 passengers.
▷ sleep /sliːp/ [transitive verb]
if a house or room sleeps a particular number of people, there is enough space for that number of people to sleep there :
▪ You can rent a country cottage that sleeps six from as little as £300 a week.
4. when there is not a lot of space
▷ a tight squeeze /ə ˌtaɪt ˈskwiːz/ [noun phrase]
when there is only just enough space for things or people to fit :
▪ It was a tight squeeze, but everything eventually fitted into my suitcase.
▪ Put the spare bed in here - it will be a tight squeeze but it’s only temporary.
▷ tight /taɪt/ [adjective]
if space is tight, there is not a lot of it :
▪ We sell furniture specially designed for homes where space is tight.
▪ I’ve never been very good at reversing into tight parking spaces.
▷ cramped /kræmpt/ [adjective]
if a room or building is cramped, there is not enough space to be able to move around it comfortably :
▪ Conditions on board ship were extremely cramped and uncomfortable.
▪ I couldn’t wait to move out of my cramped apartment.
5. a space between two things
▷ space /speɪs/ [countable noun]
▪ Plant cells contain liquid in spaces called vacuoles.
space between
▪ The children hid in the space between the wall and the sofa.
▪ The space between the old building and the Morgan mansion has been converted into a marble-paved court, with plantings and a fountain.
▷ gap /gæp/ [countable noun]
a space between two objects or surfaces from which there is something missing :
gap in
▪ Freddie managed to squeeze through a gap in the fence and run away.
gap between
▪ Melanie’s dentist says that as she gets older the gap between her two front teeth will disappear.
fill/fill in a gap
▪ Melianthus is a good plant for filling in gaps in flower borders.
▷ opening /ˈəʊp ə nɪŋ/ [countable noun]
a space through which something can pass or through which you can see :
▪ Now there is just a gap where the buildings used to stand.
opening in
▪ ‘It’s only Fred,’ said Joyce, looking through an opening in the curtains.
▪ The dog darted through an opening in the hedge, chasing a rabbit.