dead space

noun

: the portion of the respiratory system which is external to the bronchioles and through which air must pass to reach the bronchioles and alveoli

Examples of dead space in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Yes, but: Smithson said two feet of dead space in the ceiling should lessen noise and promised to point speakers down, away from apartments. —Jason Clayworth, Axios, 22 Oct. 2024

Architects realized that dead space on all sides could be used creatively: All the HVAC and electrical equipment could be moved from the basement and suspended in the gap above the building, and the unused side gaps, all five floors, could be reclaimed for the orchestra. —Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2024

Photograph: Christopher Null The 16-inch display provides ample room for a spacious keyboard, though there's no numeric keypad, leaving lots of dead space on either side. —Christopher Null, WIRED, 5 Sep. 2024

The new Framework display panel has gently rounded corners, which both Windows and Linux OSes just treat as small patches of dead space. —Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 13 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1923, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

dead space

noun

1

: space in the respiratory system in which air does not undergo significant gaseous exchange see anatomical dead space, physiological dead space

2

: a space (as that in the chest following excision of a lung) left in the body as the result of a surgical procedure