picture window

Meaning

1. 1nouncountable

   A very large window, normally fixed in place, that gives a wide, clear view of the outdoors like a framed picture.

   Grammar: Countable: a picture window, three picture windows.

   Patterns

   • a picture window overlooking something
   • through the picture window

   The cabin has a picture window that looks out over the lake.

   We watched the snow fall through the picture window in the lounge.

   Their cat spends all day on the sill of the picture window watching birds.

Word forms

Common combinations

large picture window

A large picture window fills the dining room with light.

picture window overlooking

They bought a house with a picture window overlooking the valley.

through the picture window

I saw the delivery truck through the picture window.

install a picture window

We plan to install a picture window in the kitchen.

Synonyms and how they differ

bay window

A bay window sticks out from the wall and often opens, while a picture window is flat and fixed.

floor-to-ceiling window

Floor-to-ceiling describes the height of a window, while picture window describes its purpose of framing a view.

French window

A French window is a glazed door that opens onto a garden, unlike a picture window that cannot be opened.

Word family

window noun

an opening with glass in a wall

windowsill noun

the ledge at the bottom of a window

picture noun

an image or view

windowpane noun

a sheet of glass in a window

Commonly confused: picture window or picture frame?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “picture window”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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