lebensraum

noun

le·​bens·​raum ˈlā-bənz-ˌrau̇m 

-bən(t)s-

often capitalized

1

: territory believed especially by Nazis to be necessary for national existence or economic self-sufficiency

2

: space required for life, growth, or activity

Examples of lebensraum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The experience of German and Japanese expansion profoundly shaped the work of midcentury thinkers like Morgenthau, who insisted that the search for lebensraum reflected more general laws of international relations. —Daniel Bessner, Harper’s Magazine , 22 June 2022

The real object of Hitler’s imperial ambitions was lebensraum (living space) for German-speakers in the Slavic lands. —Michael F. Bishop, WSJ, 25 Mar. 2022

This fit into the larger Nazi ideology of lebensraum, or living space, and a return to the heroic past. —Lorraine Boissoneault, Smithsonian, 31 Mar. 2017

Word History

Etymology

German, from Leben living, life + Raum space

First Known Use

1939, in the meaning defined at sense 1