What does "window" mean?
An opening, usually covered by one or more panes of clear glass, to allow light and air from outside to enter a building or vehicle.
Window
/ˈwɪndə/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An opening, usually covered by one or more panes of clear glass, to allow light and air from outside to enter a building or vehicle.
- Grammar: window is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: aluminum foil, aperture, bay, bay window.
- Useful contrasts: aisle, aisle seat, close.
- Usage evidence: We could see the sunset from the window.
How to use "window"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "window" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "window" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "window" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "window" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "window" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "aluminum foil" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "window", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An opening, usually covered by one or more panes of clear glass, to allow light and air from outside to enter a building or vehicle. countable, uncountable
"She opened the window to let some air in."
- 2 a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air wordnet
- 3 An opening, usually covered by glass, in a shop which allows people to view the shop and its products from outside; a shop window. countable, uncountable
"There is an hour or two, after the passengers have embarked, which is disquieting and fussy.[…]Passengers wander restlessly about or hurry, with futile energy, from place to place. Pushing men hustle each other at the windows of the purser's office, under pretence of expecting letters or despatching telegrams."
- 4 a transparent opening in a vehicle that allow vision out of the sides or back; usually is capable of being opened wordnet
- 5 The shutter, casement, sash with its fittings, or other framework, which closes a window opening. countable, uncountable
Show 15 more definitions
- 6 a transparent panel (as of an envelope) inserted in an otherwise opaque material wordnet
- 7 A period of time when something is available or possible; a limited opportunity. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"launch window"
- 8 (computer science) a rectangular part of a computer screen that contains a display different from the rest of the screen wordnet
- 9 Something that allows one to see through or into something countable, figuratively, uncountable
"His journal provides a rare window into his otherwise obscure life."
- 10 an opening in a wall or screen that admits light and air and through which customers can be served wordnet
- 11 A restricted range. countable, uncountable
"In this case, a band-pass filter using a range or window of frequencies is appropriate to isolate the frequency or the group of frequencies that characterize a specific cycle."
- 12 a pane of glass in a window wordnet
- 13 A rectangular area on a computer terminal or screen containing some kind of user interface, displaying output and allowing input, often for a single task in a multitasking system. countable, uncountable
- 14 an opening that resembles a window in appearance or function wordnet
- 15 A figure formed of lines crossing each other. countable, uncountable
"till he has windows on his bread and butter"
- 16 the time period that is considered best for starting or finishing something wordnet
- 17 The time between first infection and detectability. countable, uncountable
- 18 Synonym of chaff (“strips of material intended to confuse radar”) historical, uncountable
- 19 A function multiplied with a signal to reduce spectral leakage when performing a Fourier transform. countable, uncountable
- 20 A fenster: a geologic or tectonic window. countable, uncountable
"[…]the Hohe Tauern window. In the transverse depression between the windows, the Silvretta Nappe disappears almost entirely underneath the Oetztal Nappe. The southern margin of the Northern Limestone zone is formed by the "Greywacke zone" of[…]"
Verb
- 1 To furnish with windows. transitive
- 2 To place at or in a window. transitive
"Wouldst thou be windowed in great Rome and see / Thy master thus with pleach'd arms, bending down / His corrigible neck?"
- 3 To apply a window function to (a signal). transitive
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"We could see the sunset from the window."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "window"?
Common synonyms include: aluminum foil, aperture, bay, bay window, bow window, casement.
How do you use "window" in a sentence?
We could see the sunset from the window.
How do you pronounce "window"?
Pronounced /ˈwɪndə/.
Etymology
From Middle English wyndowe, wyndown, from Old Norse vindauga (“window”, literally “wind-eye; wind-hole”), equivalent to wind + eye. Cognate with Scots windae and windock, Faroese vindeyga, Norwegian Bokmål vindu, Norwegian Nynorsk vindauge, Danish vindue, archaic Swedish vindöga, Elfdalian windog. Displaced native Old English ēagþȳrel (literally “eye hole”) (the rare direct descendant is eyethurl (“window, pupil, etc.”)). The “windows” among early Germanic peoples were just unglazed holes (eyes) in the wall or roof that permitted wind to pass through .