headroom

Space above you

Headroom is the vertical clearance between a surface and what's above it—the space available for your head.

A bridge has limited headroom for tall vehicles; a car with good headroom feels spacious for passengers.

Figuratively, headroom means capacity for growth or maneuvering: The budget gives us some headroom for unexpected costs.

In audio engineering, headroom is the margin between normal signal levels and distortion.

vertical

clearance

Permitted passage or approval

gap · distance · margin · tolerance · buffer · allowance · doorway · passageway · underpass · low bridge

capacity

bandwidth

Data transmission capacity

reserve · margin · buffer · leeway · latitude · slack · surplus · cushion · safety margin · spare capacity

audio

dynamic range

Signal amplitude span

gain staging · peaks · transients · loudness · metering · ceiling · limiter · mastering · mixing · decibels

growth

expansion

Increase in scope

potential · opportunity · advancement · improvement · progress · increase · career advancement · untapped potential

vehicle

ceiling clearance

sunroof · moonroof · seat adjustment

Categories
Opposites
vertical clearance/space

headroomlow ceiling

Overhead surface uncomfortably close

low clearance · cramped · constriction · tight squeeze · confined space

capacity/margin for growth or maneuver

headroomconstraint

Limiting condition or rule

maxed out · at capacity · capacity limit · limitation · ceiling

audio signal capacity

headroomclipping

Piece cut out

distortion · overload · peaking · redlining · overdrive

Family

head, room, forehead, headway, airhead, pinhead, hothead, bonehead, behead

Familiarity
Top 100,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G