defenestration
Americannoun
-
the act of throwing a person or thing out of a window.
The defenestration of the Catholic commissioners in Prague precipitated the Thirty Years’ War.
-
the act of suddenly removing someone from an important position or office.
When the new corporate board was voted in, there was a massive defenestration of high-level executives.
noun
Etymology
Origin of defenestration
First recorded in 1610–20; de- + Latin fenestr(a) “window” + -ation
Explanation
Defenestration is a word for the act of throwing something or someone out of a window. Yes, there's actually a word for that. Fenestra is the Latin word for window. So that's how we came up with defenestration, the frighteningly specific word for throwing someone out a window. Perhaps you've heard of the famous Defenestration of Prague, which helped launch the 30 Years' War? If not, don't worry. This isn't a word you'll need to use very often, unless there are a lot of people and things being tossed out of the windows in your life.
Vocabulary lists containing defenestration
There's A Word for That
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The Poisonwood Bible
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#BigWordLove: Celebrating Big, Beautiful Words with the Huffington Post
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
We hear an excerpt from a review by William Logan, poetry’s dean of critical defenestration, condemning her work for its pretty plainness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
Johnson was little known to the public when he won the speakership after California Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s dramatic defenestration.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2025
For the first time since his defenestration from Fox, his name was once again on the lips of major national and international figures, the kind of buzz on which Mr. Carlson has long thrived.
From New York Times ● Feb. 8, 2024
Still, some of those standing athwart Santos’ defenestration yelling “Stop!” — or at least “Think this through” — make good points.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2023
Rachel is clearly the one with locks on every possible route to defenestration.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
