window

win‧dow S1 W1 /ˈwɪndəʊ $ -doʊ/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old Norse; Origin: vindauga, from vindr 'wind' + auga 'eye']
1. a space or an area of glass in the wall of a building or vehicle that lets in light
open/close/shut a window
Do you mind if I open the window?
out of/from/through the window
She looked out of the window to see if it was raining.
The sun was shining through the windows.
in the window (=just inside a window)
We were looking at the Christmas displays in the shop windows.
bedroom/kitchen etc window ⇨ ↑bay window, DORMER WINDOW, ↑French windows, ↑picture window, ↑sash window
2. one of the separate areas on a computer screen where different programs are operating
3. (also window of opportunity) a short period of time that is available for a particular activity:
Delay might open a window of opportunity for their rivals.
4. an area on an envelope with clear plastic in it which lets you see the address written on the letter inside the envelope
5. a window on/to the world something that makes it possible to see and learn about what is happening in other parts of the world:
Television provides us with a useful window on the world.
6. go out (of) the window informal to disappear completely or no longer have any effect:
One glass of wine, and all my good intentions went out the window.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ open a window I opened the window and breathed in the fresh air.
▪ close/shut a window She shut the window firmly.
▪ roll up/down a window (=open or shut the window in a car) Lucy rolled the window down and waved to him.
▪ look/gaze/stare out of the window Mom stared out of the window at the road.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + window
▪ open A breeze from the open window lifted her hair.
▪ closed/shut All the windows were closed.
▪ a front window I don't want people looking in my front window.
▪ a back window The burglar had got in through one of the back windows.
▪ the rear window (=the back window, especially of a car) The car's rear window had been bashed in.
▪ a shop/store window She looked in shop windows.
▪ somebody's bedroom/office window From his bedroom window he could see two men having an argument.
▪ the kitchen/car etc window She had left the kitchen window open.
▪ a stained glass window (=made of pieces of coloured glass) The church has fine medieval stained glass windows.
■ window + NOUN
▪ the window frame The window frame was rotten.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

window

win·dow [window windows] [ˈwɪndəʊ] [ˈwɪndoʊ] noun
1. an opening in the wall or roof of a building, car, etc, usually covered with glass, that allows light and air to come in and people to see out; the glass in a window
• She looked out of the window.
• to open/close the window
• the bedroom/car/kitchen, etc. window
• a broken window

see also bay window, dormer window, French window, picture window, rose window, sash window

2. = shop window
• I saw the dress I wanted in the window.

• a window display

3. an area within a frame on a computer screen, in which a particular program is operating or in which information of a particular type is shown

• to create/open a window

4. a small area of sth that you can see through, for example to talk to sb or read sth on the other side
• There was a long line of people at the box-office window.

• The address must be clearly visible through the window of the envelope.

5. singular ~ on/into sth a way of seeing and learning about sth
• Television is a sort of window on the world.

• It gave me an intriguing window into the way people live.

6. a time when there is an opportunity to do sth, although it may not last long
• We now have a small window of opportunity in which to make our views known.
Idiom: go out the window
Word Origin:
Middle English: from Old Norse vindauga, from vindr ‘wind’ + auga ‘eye’.
Example Bank:
• All the windows blew out with the force of the blast.
• All the windows in the prison are barred.
• Click on the window to make it active.
• Do you have a window next Monday?
• French windows lead out onto the patio.
• He was standing at the window waiting for us.
• He works as a window cleaner.
• How does the window open?
• I always ask for a window seat when I fly.
• I found her looking in the window of a department store.
• I love going window shopping.
• I rolled down the window to ask for directions.
• I sat by the window to get some air.
• If you close a couple of windows, the screen will be less cluttered.
• It was raining so hard I could scarcely see out of the window.
• No light showed in any of the blank windows of the house.
• She gazed out of the window at the falling snow.
• The cathedral has a beautiful rose window.
• The windows all steam up when you have a shower.
• The windows glinted in the sunlight.
• The windows of the house stared bleakly down at her.
• The windows rattle when a train goes past.
• There was a vase of flowers in the window.
• There was evidence that the window had been forced.
• They threw a brick through the window.
• We caught sight of him in the window as we passed.
• We tapped on the window to get their attention.
• You get to the garden through French windows at the back of the house.
• a limousine with smoked windows
• a studio with windows looking out on the park
• an advertisement in the shop window

• floral displays such as window boxes and hanging baskets

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

window / wɪn.dəʊ / / -doʊ / noun (GLASS)

A1 [ C ] 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's got 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
[ 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
[ 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.

window / ˈwɪn.dəʊ / / -doʊ / noun [ C ] (COMPUTER)

B1 a separate area on a computer screen that shows information and can be moved around:

to minimize/maximize a window

window / ˈwɪn.dəʊ / / -doʊ / noun [ C ] (OPPORTUNITY)

a period when there is an opportunity to do something:

I'm quite 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.

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

window

/wɪndoʊ/
(windows)

Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.

1.
A window is a space in the wall of a building or in the side of a vehicle, which has glass in it so that light can come in and you can see out.
He stood at the window, moodily staring out...
The room felt very hot and she wondered why someone did not open a window...
...my car window.
N-COUNT

2.
A window is a large piece of glass along the front of a shop, behind which some of the goods that the shop sells are displayed.
I stood for a few moments in front of the nearest shop window.
N-COUNT

3.
A window is a glass-covered opening above a counter, for example in a bank, post office, railway station, or museum, which the person serving you sits behind.
The woman at the ticket window told me that the admission fee was $17.50.
N-COUNT

4.
On a computer screen, a window is one of the work areas that the screen can be divided into. (COMPUTING)
N-COUNT

5.
If you have a window in your diary for something, or if you can make a window for it, you are free at a particular time and can do it then.
Tell her I’ve got a window in my diary later on this week.
N-COUNT: usu sing

6.
see also French window, picture window, rose window

7.
If you say that something such as a plan or a particular way of thinking or behaving has gone out of the window or has flown out of the window, you mean that it has disappeared completely.
By now all logic had gone out of the window...
PHRASE: V inflects

8.
If you say that there is a window of opportunity for something, you mean that there is an opportunity to do something but that this opportunity will only last for a short time and so it needs to be taken advantage of quickly. (JOURNALISM)
The king said there was now a window of opportunity for peace.
PHRASE: window inflects, oft PHR for n, PHR to-inf

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

window

win·dow /ˈwɪndoʊ/ noun, pl -dows
1 [count]
a : an opening in a wall, door, etc., that usually contains a sheet of glass
• She opened a window to let in some air.
• I looked out the window and saw a deer.
- see also bay window, french window, picture window, rose window, storm window
b : a sheet of glass that covers an opening in a building, vehicle, etc.
• He used vinegar and water to wash the windows.
• He accidentally broke a window.
• Can you roll down the car window?
c : a large window at the front of a store where goods are displayed so that they can be seen by people who are walking past
• The windows along 5th Avenue were all decorated for Christmas.
• I saw a beautiful dress in the window.
d : an opening in a wall through which business is conducted
• He sits behind a window and sells movie tickets.
• a ticket window
• a bank teller's window
2 [count] : a part of something that you can see through
• Make sure the address shows through the window in the envelope.
• A window opened in the fog and we could finally see the ocean.
3 [count] : an area or box on a computer screen that shows a program that is currently running
• Minimize that window and open a new one.
• Close all the windows and restart the computer.
- see picture at computer
4 [singular] : a period of time during which something can happen
• The shuttle's launch has a window of only two days. [=it can only happen within two specific days]
• The window of opportunity [=the time during which there is a chance to do something] has closed/ended.
a window into/on : something that makes it possible to see or understand something clearly
• This knowledge opens a window into your opponent's mind.
• The book gives the reader a window on war.
go out the window informal : to stop being used or thought about
• By that point in the argument, reason had gone out the window.
throw (something) out the window informal : to stop using or thinking about (something)
• We can throw that idea out the window.