breathing space

Noun

breathing space (countable and uncountable, plural breathing spaces)

1. Sufficient space or a span of time in which to recover one's breath.
   • He reeled, and on Herminius
     He leaned one breathing-space;
     Then, like a wild cat mad with wounds,
     Sprang right at Astur's face.1842, Thomas Babbington Macaulay, Horatius, stanza 45

   Synonyms:

   breathing room, breathing spell, breathing while

2. A rest, pause, or respite.
3. Enough distance so that one can feel unfettered.
   • Don't fret, in our division you get a lot of breathing space.
   • By this time the difference between first and third class accommodation had become nominal, and was measured in "breathing space" during peak hours rather than in quality.1951 January, “The Inner Circle and its Rolling Stock”, in Railway Magazine, page 58