Defenestrate

//dəˈfɛnɪstɹeɪt// verb, slang

verb, slang ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To eject or throw (someone or something) from or through a window. transitive

    "I defenestrated a clock to see if time flies!"

  2. 2
    throw through or out of the window wordnet
  3. 3
    To throw out; to remove or dismiss (someone) from a position of power or authority. transitive

    "The cultural historians of science 'feel the need to defenestrate science, or at least take it off its pedestal' (Pumfrey. Rossi & Slawinski 1991. p. 3)."

  4. 4
    To remove a Windows operating system from (a computer). humorous, slang, transitive

    "This posting was written on a Windows 95 PC, Defenestrate it immediately. Install Linux. :-)"

Synonyms

All synonyms
bounceburncastcast outchuckcrucify

Example

More examples

"Defenestrate your clock to see how time flies."

Etymology

First attested in 1904; back-formation from defenestration on the basis of -ate (verb-forming suffix), from New Latin dē- (“out”) + fenestra (“window”) + -ātiō (“-ation”).

Related phrases

operating systemthrow out

More for "defenestrate"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.