Definition of lebensraum in English English dictionary
- Territories considered appropriate for German annexation, regarded as vital for the natural flourishing of the German race:
in later usage a Großdeutschland obtained through Endoeuropean expansion, usually with a focus upon Drang nach Osten, and varying in its scope from the comparatively modest annexation of the Polish Border Strip to overlordship of the European continent by the conquest of Russian lands as far as the Urals.
- Hitherto unoccupied “living space” claimed as one’s rightful domain
Even when there aren’t any explosions going on, when you’re scanning a distant compound with your sniper rifle, trying to decide which soldier would be the best one to kill first, before every enemy in a two-mile radius deduces your exact position like a vodka-drinking sextant, everything from a certain distance disappears into this weird glowing haze, like the Russians are occupying the surface of Mercury — which is beyond even the most liberal interpretation of lebensraum.
- space sought for occupation by a nation whose population is expanding
- {i} territory which a country considers necessary for national survival or the growth of trade (especially referring to Nazi Germany)