breathing space
noun
: some time in which to recover, get organized, or get going
called also breathing room, breathing spell
Examples of breathing space in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Lowering borrowing costs could ease some of the pressure felt by businesses and consumers, providing more breathing space to hire or make purchases.
—
Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 8 Aug. 2024
When the cease-fire lapsed, the hostilities that followed ultimately favored Israel, which benefitted from the breathing space allowed by negotiations.
—Eric Min, Foreign Affairs, 24 July 2024
Plus open shelving on the wall leaves plenty of visual breathing space.
—Madeleine Luckel, Architectural Digest, 16 July 2024
But the movie works equally well as pure popcorn entertainment, packing its two-and-a-half-hour running time with nail-biting thrills but also allowing sufficient breathing space to build depth in the characters and story.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for breathing space 
Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 8 Aug. 2024
When the cease-fire lapsed, the hostilities that followed ultimately favored Israel, which benefitted from the breathing space allowed by negotiations.
—Eric Min, Foreign Affairs, 24 July 2024
Plus open shelving on the wall leaves plenty of visual breathing space.
—Madeleine Luckel, Architectural Digest, 16 July 2024
But the movie works equally well as pure popcorn entertainment, packing its two-and-a-half-hour running time with nail-biting thrills but also allowing sufficient breathing space to build depth in the characters and story.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for breathing space
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'breathing space.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Breathing space.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breathing%20space. Accessed 25 Sep. 2024.
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