window

American  

[win-doh] / ˈwɪn doʊ /

noun

• windows
  plural

1. an opening in the wall of a building, the side of a vehicle, etc., for the admission of air or light, or both, commonly fitted with a frame in which are set movable sashes containing panes of glass.

2. such an opening with the frame, sashes, and panes of glass, or any other device, by which it is closed.

3. the frame, sashes, and panes of glass, or the like, intended to fit such an opening.

   Finally the builders put in the windows.

4. a windowpane.

5. anything likened to a window in appearance or function, as a transparent section in an envelope, displaying the address.

6. a period of time regarded as highly favorable for initiating or completing something.

   Investors have a window of perhaps six months before interest rates rise.

7. Military. chaff.

8. Geology. fenster.

9. Pharmacology. the drug dosage range that results in a therapeutic effect, a lower dose being insufficient and a higher dose being toxic.

10. Aerospace.

    1. launch window.

    2. a specific area at the outer limits of the earth's atmosphere through which a spacecraft must reenter to arrive safely at its planned destination.

11. Computers. a section of a display screen that can be created for viewing information from another part of a file or from another file.

    The split screen feature enables a user to create two or more windows.

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verb (used with object)

1. to furnish with a window or windows.

2. Obsolete. to display or put in a window.

window British  

/ ˈwɪndəʊ /

noun

1. a light framework, made of timber, metal, or plastic, that contains glass or glazed opening frames and is placed in a wall or roof to let in light or air or to see through

2. an opening in the wall or roof of a building that is provided to let in light or air or to see through

3. See windowpane

4. the display space in and directly behind a shop window

   the dress in the window

5. any opening or structure resembling a window in function or appearance, such as the transparent area of an envelope revealing an address within

6. an opportunity to see or understand something usually unseen

   a window on the workings of Parliament

7. a period of unbooked time in a diary, schedule, etc

8. short for launch window weather window

9. physics a region of the spectrum in which a medium transmits electromagnetic radiation See also radio window

10. computing an area of a VDU display that may be manipulated separately from the rest of the display area; typically different files can be displayed simultaneously in different overlapping windows

11. (modifier) of or relating to a window or windows

    a window ledge

12. informal dispensed with; disregarded

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verb

1. (tr) to furnish with or as if with windows

window Idioms  

1. see out the window.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unwindowed
  adjective
• well-windowed
  adjective
• windowless
  adjective
• windowy
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• windows
  plural

Etymology

Origin of window

1175–1225; Middle English windoge, windowe < Old Norse vindauga, equivalent to vindr wind ¹ + auga eye

Explanation

A window is an opening in a wall that you can see through. Most windows are fitted with glass and can be opened to let air flow through them on a warm spring day. Buildings have windows so that the sun can brighten up indoor spaces during the day. You can also use window to mean just the glass pane inside the frame: "Sorry that my baseball broke the window!" Cars have windows too, which can be rolled up and down, and department stores use their large windows to display items for sale. And on a computer, a window is an area containing information that's enclosed by a window-like "frame."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

window windows

"The next international window in November is fast approaching," Burkinabe Football Federation official Ibrahim Dianda warned on Facebook.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

The Norwegian flag is seen flapping through a window when the mother is told: “We are here to take the children, Lisbet. All of them.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

This result gives us a window into studying what conditions may have been like in Earth's first couple of million years.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026

There’s no shortage of cabinet storage or counter space, and a pass-through window connects the room to an outdoor patio, making hosting and cleanup a breeze.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026

“No, I was just curious,” I reply, looking out the window.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

He said among advantages is the absence of high buildings and homes looming "so you don't have ... people hiding behind windows".

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

"It's unbearable. We can't open the windows, even the oranges in the garden and the laundry hanging out to dry are covered in black dust."

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

The wedge-shaped footprint, built to the maximum allowable area, features a ground-level studio with 16-foot-high ceilings, clerestory windows and an overhead skylight to allow for natural light.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

The living room is the perfect place for guests to sit back and relax thanks to its cozy fireplace and large windows, which allow natural light to flood inside.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

Everyone in the town, on the road, on the wooden sidewalks, leaning out the windows from above, falls silent.

From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes