Ames room n. A distorted room that appears almost normal when viewed with one eye through a peephole in one of its walls, but the floor, ceiling, and side walls of which are actually trapezium-shaped (US trapezoidal) rather than rectangular, resulting in visual illusions relating to the sizes of objects or people within the room. Some viewers experience an ineffable strangeness that is believed to result from trying to accommodate the focal length of the eye to the far corners of the room ...