Meaning of window in English

window

noun

/ˈwɪn.dəʊ/ us

/ˈwɪn.doʊ/

window noun (GLASS)

a space usually filled with glass in the wall of a building or in a vehicle, to allow light and air in and to allow people inside the building to see out:

Is it all right if I open/close the window?

He caught me staring out of the window.

I saw a child's face at the window.

She has some wonderful plants in the window (= on a surface at the bottom of the window).

I was admiring the cathedral's stained-glass windows.

Have you paid the window cleaner (= person whose job is to clean the outside of windows)?

window frames

a window ledge

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[ S ] literary

something that makes it possible for you to see and learn about a situation or experience that is different from your own:

The film provides a window on the immigrant experience.

[ C ]

a transparent rectangle on the front of an envelope, through which you can read the address written on the letter inside

subjug/iStock/Getty Images Plus/GettyImages

[ C ]

the decorative arrangement of goods behind the window at the front of a shop, in addition to the window itself:

How much is the jacket in the window?

The shop windows are wonderful around Christmas time.

More examplesFewer examples

We have a clear view of the ocean from our hotel window.
It's a bit cool in here, isn't it? I think I'll close the window.
Would you like an aisle seat or would you prefer to be by the window?
Car windows are usually made from toughened glass.
The explosion shattered nearby windows and wrecked two cars.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Parts of buildings: windows & parts of windows

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Opportunity

Communications - the postal system

window noun (COMPUTER)

B1 [ C ]

a separate area on a computer screen that shows information and can be moved around:

to minimize/maximize a window

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Computer concepts

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window noun (OPPORTUNITY)

[ C ]

a period when there is an opportunity to do something:

I'm busy this week but there might be a window on Friday.

If a window of opportunity (= an opportunity) should present itself, I'd take advantage of it.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Opportunity

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Idiom

go out (of) the window

(Definition of window from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

window | American Dictionary

window

noun [ C ]

/ˈwɪn·doʊ/

window noun [C] (OPENING)

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an opening in the wall of a building or vehicle, usually covered with glass, to let light and air in and to allow people inside to see out:

to open/close a window

From her bedroom window she could see a lovely garden.

In a store, a window is the large glass-covered front behind which goods for sale are usually shown:

We walked along Fifth Avenue, looking in the shop windows.

A window is also a period when there is an unusual opportunity to do something:

If a window of opportunity presents itself, I’d be a fool not to take advantage of it.

window noun [C] (COMPUTER)

an area of a computer screen that shows a particular type of information

(Definition of window from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

window | Business English

window

noun [ C ]

/ˈwɪndəʊ/ us

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one of the separate areas that can be opened and moved around on a computer screen to use particular programs:

The information appeared in a new window.

click on/close/open a window

maximize/minimize/move a window

enlarge/reduce a window

Compare

tab noun

a short period in between other activities when there is an opportunity to do something:

I have a window on Thursday morning, so we could meet then.

The difficult economic conditions provide a window of opportunity for longterm investors.

COMMERCE

the large area of glass at the front of a store behind which goods are displayed:

Could I try on the dress in the window?

Stores don't tend to put anything above a size 8 in their window displays.

Examples of window

window

The windows for any strategy would need to take into account the generation times recorded in this study.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Therefore, the updoming of windows was accompanied by a general uplift of the area, which, however, must be isostatically compensated.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Nonetheless, we believe that the changes in performance observed across these variations are better viewed as different windows on the infant's underlying knowledge structures.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The context windows do not cross sentence boundaries.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Indeed, perioddoubling cascades up to period seven with chaotic windows were recorded, and a thorough study of the basins of attraction was undertaken.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

We discovered that we actually could physically open one of these big double-glazed windows and have sound coming in as well.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Elements such as roofs, gables and windows are likely to be dictated by the structure's primary function - providing shelter and light to the building's occupants.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

In other windows, solutions characterized by both oscillating and soliton properties ('oscillitons') exist.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

In particular, officials who lack capacity may be unable to capitalize on windows opened by triggers producing societal costs and demands for change.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Bisimulations are indexed by sets of channels called windows.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The small windows on the exterior are flush with the outside.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The scheduling windows are also referred to as periods.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

By 1914 war was no longer the worst option, and the urgency for a preventive war grew as ' windows of opportunity ' were closed.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

All the windows were generated automatically through reading model fragment libraries.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The model includes walls, the floor, the ceiling, windows, doors and some heavy pieces of furniture.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

See all examples of window

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

Collocations with window

window

These are words often used in combination with window.

Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.

arched window

It features a central projecting gable elaborate arched window.

From

Wikipedia

This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.

barred window

The thieves had to cut through a barred window, remove the back door lock, force inner doors and cut open a safe.

From the

Hansard archive

Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0

basement window

A basement window had been broken and petrol had been poured through and ignited.

From the

Hansard archive

Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0

See all collocations with window

What is the pronunciation of window?

Translations of window

in Chinese (Traditional)

玻璃, 窗，窗戶，窗口, （讓人了解其他情況或經歷的）窗口…

Meaning of window in English

window noun (GLASS)

window noun (COMPUTER)

window noun (OPPORTUNITY)

Idiom

window | American Dictionary

window noun [C] (OPENING)

window noun [C] (COMPUTER)

window | Business English

See also

Examples of window

Collocations with window

window

Translations of window

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