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

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Etymology

Origin of window

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

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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

When the female driver rolled down her car window, Bridges wrote, she asked who he was and he did the same.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

Traditional jewelers usually offer a 14-day to 30-day return window.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026

Together, the slower rate of cell division, simpler cell structures, and shorter window for rapid growth help explain why the marmoset brain produces fewer neurons and develops far fewer folds.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026

But for an intentionally outrageous film like “The Devils,” where Reed hurls a plastic crocodile out of a window, rules can be relaxed.

From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026

The fox and the badger found themselves back at the window.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Along with a lower price point, DTC brands often offer longer return windows, too.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026

Svetz cites camrips and microscopic theatrical windows as factors that have both hindered cinema and strengthened its unique selling points, and he’s completely right.

From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026

A fuel leak in the River Taff which killed fish and sparked a warning for people to shut their windows has now stopped, official have said.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

Netflix’s strategy of mainly releasing movies on its platform instead of doing large theatrical windows also was a turnoff for some talent who wanted to see their work on the big screen, some sources said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

His jaw was grinding as he stared off at the windows, and his legs were twitching.

From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott

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