Phrase guide

window of opportunity

noun · 1 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌwɪndəʊ‿əv ˌɒpəˈtjuːnɪtɪ/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /-ˈt͡ʃuː-/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˌwɪndoʊ‿əv ˌɑpɚˈt(j)unəti/
  • General-American: [-ɾi]

1

noun

Meaning 1

A (usually limited) period of time in which suitable action can achieve success.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Popularized by its use by the United States Government in the 1970s in reference to the Cold War (1945–1991).

Across languages

Translations

19 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 機會窗口 /机会窗口 (jīhuì chuāngkǒu) — Translations
  • Finnish: etsikkoaika — Translations
  • Finnish: mahdollisuus — Translations
  • Finnish: sauma — Translations
  • French: fenêtre d'opportunité — Translations
  • French: créneau — Translations
  • French: ouverture — Translations
  • German: Zeitfenster — Translations
  • Hebrew: חלון הזדמנויות — Translations
  • Indonesian: celah peluang — Translations
  • Indonesian: jendela kesempatan — Translations
  • Latin: fenestra — Translations
  • Macedonian: ша́нса (šánsa) — Translations
  • Macedonian: мо́жност (móžnost) — Translations
  • Macedonian: про́зорец на мо́жности (prózorec na móžnosti) — Translations
  • Malay: tetingkap peluang — Translations
  • Persian: پنجره فرصت — Translations
  • Polish: okno możliwości — Translations
  • Yiddish: איינמאָליקע געלעגנהייט (éynmolike gelégnheyt) — Translations