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

But when it comes to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, reasonable went out the window a decade ago.

From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026

Yavorskaya’s son and grandson, who live down the street, soon arrived and helped the neighbors escape through the window.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

They can provide a sense of safety in emergencies, such as an accident, when you may have to cut a seat belt or break a window to escape.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

The club has spent £151m so far this summer transfer window, including a club record £116m for England midfielder Elliot Anderson.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

“We were throwing pebbles at her window in the middle of one of her lessons. Everyone got away but me. After she popped me, she made me stand in the corner and called my parents.”

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

"The whole ship was a sweat box," he said, with some passengers in cabins that had no windows resorting to sleeping on the ship's roof.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

The room features elegant windows that show off the manicured grounds outside.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026

He transformed the interior and altered the exterior windows, making it difficult for the characters to see the dangers circling outside.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

BALTIMORE—With its boarded-up windows and peeling facade, the vacant building didn’t seem like the kind of house that would prompt a bidding war.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

There was one raging now as the women sleeping nearest the windows slammed them shut against the cold.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom