window seat

American  

noun

1. a seat built beneath the sill of a recessed or other window.

2. a bench having two arms and no back.

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window seat British  

noun

1. a seat below a window, esp in a bay window

2. a seat beside a window in a bus, train, etc

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Etymology

Origin of window seat

First recorded in 1745–55

Example Sentences

When the next streetcar rolls in, the upper deck fills with a gaggle of schoolgirls, squabbling over who gets the window seat closest to the sea breeze.

From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026

The woman told the the court that she had been sitting in a window seat reading a book when Cristiano moved to seats to be beside her.

From BBC • Jan. 7, 2026

From a window seat I’d watch the platform glide away as vendors shoved gossip magazines through the bars.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 29, 2025

She moved to the Palisades when her son, now 23, was 2 years old and was enchanted by the big, circular window with a window seat in the fairy-tale-themed children’s section.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 11, 2025

Finn imagined Roza sitting on a bus or perched in the window seat of a plane, blue sky behind her.

From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby

Related Words

• love seat
• settee