breathing space
"Breathing space" can refer to a period of rest or physical distance, and also has a specific meaning in the context of UK debt relief.
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Definition
B2General
(common)A period of rest or pause to recover from stress or activity.
Example
- After a hectic week, I need some breathing space to relax and recharge.
B2General
(common)A small amount of physical room to move comfortably.
Example
- The room was so crowded that there was hardly any breathing space.
C1Financial
(technical, UK)A UK government scheme providing temporary relief from debt payments and enforcement actions.
Example
- The breathing space scheme gave her 60 days to seek financial advice and plan her repayments.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "breathing space":
take a breathpersonal spacedead spacerough breathingfree spacelittle spaceempty spacethin spacewhite spacecatch one's breath