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windbreak

American  
[wind-breyk] / ˈwɪndˌbreɪk /

noun

  1. a growth of trees, a structure of boards, or the like, serving as a shelter from the wind.

windbreak British  
/ ˈwɪndˌbreɪk /

noun

  1. a fence, line of trees, etc, serving as a protection from the wind by breaking its force

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of windbreak

First recorded in 1765–75; wind 1 + break

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.

Check the temperature of the sand and, if there's no natural shade, try to create some with a beach umbrella, sun tent or windbreak.

From BBC • Aug. 12, 2025

One of his main arguments is that a heavily thinned forest is more vulnerable to fire, not less, because the cooling shade of the canopy is reduced, as is the windbreak.

From New York Times • Jul. 27, 2022

Unusual features you may want to try at home include a child-resistant waterfall, vegetation windbreak and xeriscape.

From Seattle Times • May 11, 2022

If your balcony is on the breezy side, you can protect your plants by putting them behind tightly baled straw, or you can create a windbreak by securing burlap to the railing.

From Washington Post • Nov. 30, 2021

Slowly the wagon came around the windmill and the barn and the windbreak and into the yard, the dogs jumping happily beside it.

From "Sarah, Plain and Tall" by Patricia MacLachlan

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.