noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/dɪˌfɛnɪˈstɹeɪʃ(ə)n/
Received-Pronunciation:/ˌdiː-/
General-American:/diˌfɛnəˈstɹeɪʃən/
General-American:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -eɪʃən
rhymes with -ɪʃən
CMU ARPABET:D IY0 F EH2 N EH0 S T R EY1 SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The act of throwing something or especially someone out of a window, especially lethally.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The high-profile removal of a person from an organization.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK, countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
The high-profile removal of a person from an organization.
to eliminate from a contest or sport championship
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK, countable, figuratively, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
The act of removing the Microsoft Windows operating system from a computer in order to install an alternative one.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Etymology tree Latin dē Etruscan *𐌚𐌍𐌄𐌔𐌕𐌓𐌀 (*fnestra)bor.? Latin fenestra Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin -ātiō New Latin dēfenestrātiōder. English defenestration From New Latin defenestratio, from dē (“from; out”) + fenestra (“window”) + -atio (suffix indicating an action or process); compare Middle French défenestrer (modern French défenestrer), défenestration, Italian defenestrazione and German Fenstersturz. The verb defenestrate was formed later.
Across languages
Translations
51 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
الرَّمْيُ مِنَ النَّافِذَة
(ar-ramyu mina an-nāfiḏa)
— act of throwing out a window
Asturian:
defenestración
— act of throwing out a window
Carpathian Rusyn:
дефенестрация
(defenestracyja)
— act of throwing out a window
Catalan:
defenestració
— act of throwing out a window
Chinese Mandarin:
拋出窗外 /抛出窗外
(pāochū chuāngwài)
— act of throwing out a window
Chinese Mandarin:
拋窗 /抛窗
(pāochuāng)
— act of throwing out a window
Chinese Mandarin:
擲窗 /掷窗
(zhìchuāng)
— act of throwing out a window
Czech:
defenestrace
— act of throwing out a window
Danish:
vinduesudsmidning
— act of throwing out a window
Danish:
defenestrering
— act of throwing out a window
Dutch:
defenestratie
— act of throwing out a window
Esperanto:
trafenestrigo
— act of throwing out a window
Estonian:
defenestratsioon
— act of throwing out a window
Finnish:
ikkunasta heittäminen
— act of throwing out a window
Finnish:
defenestraatio
— act of throwing out a window
French:
défenestration
— act of throwing out a window
Galician:
defenestración
— act of throwing out a window
German:
Fenstersturz
— act of throwing out a window
German:
Defenestration
— act of throwing out a window
Greek:
εκπαραθύρωση
(ekparathýrosi)
— act of throwing out a window
Indonesian:
defenestrasi
— act of throwing out a window
Interlingua:
defenestration
— act of throwing out a window
Italian:
defenestrazione
— act of throwing out a window
Japanese:
窓外放出
(sōgai hōshutsu)
— act of throwing out a window
Japanese:
窓外放擲
(sōgai hōteki)
— act of throwing out a window
Latin:
defenestratio
— act of throwing out a window
Latvian:
defenestrācija
— act of throwing out a window
Lithuanian:
defenestracija
— act of throwing out a window
Macedonian:
дефенестра́ција
(defenestrácija)
— act of throwing out a window
Norwegian Bokmål:
defenestrasjon
— act of throwing out a window
Norwegian Nynorsk:
defenestrasjon
— act of throwing out a window
Polish:
defenestracja
— act of throwing out a window
Portuguese:
defenestração
— act of throwing out a window
Romanian:
defenestrație
— act of throwing out a window
Russian:
дефенестра́ция
(defenestrácija)
— act of throwing out a window
Serbo-Croatian:
дефенестра́ција
— act of throwing out a window
Serbo-Croatian:
defenestrácija
— act of throwing out a window
Slovak:
defenestrácia
— act of throwing out a window
Slovene:
defenestracija
— act of throwing out a window
Spanish:
defenestración
— act of throwing out a window
Swedish:
defenestrering
— act of throwing out a window
Swedish:
defenestration
— act of throwing out a window
Swedish:
fönsterutkastning
— act of throwing out a window
Swedish:
fönsterstörtning
— act of throwing out a window
Thai:
การโยนออกนอกหน้าต่าง
(gaan yohn òk nôk nâa dtàang)
— act of throwing out a window
Turkish:
defenestrasyon
— act of throwing out a window
Ukrainian:
дефенестра́ція
(defenestrácija)
— act of throwing out a window
Welsh:
diffenestriad
— act of throwing out a window
German:
Entlassung
— high-profile removal of a person from an organization
German:
Absetzung
— high-profile removal of a person from an organization
Swedish:
störtning
— high-profile removal of a person from an organization
