Definition of "headspace" []

• The volume left at the top of an almost filled jar, tin, or other container before sealing. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "I would not fire it another time until I had it checked by a competent gunsmith, because that much headspace is a definate safety hazzard to the gun, you, and anyone standing nearby."
• "The key to detecting minute levels of the low volatility compounds produced when chicken spoils is a new method of sampling the "headspace" - the air above a test sample."
• "I’d like to do some more hacking with it in this vein, but unfortunately I’d probably not get around to it for a few weeks since my headspace is pretty full right now."