Meaning & use
wind screen
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountableBritish
The large glass window at the front of a car or other vehicle that protects the driver and passengers from wind and weather.
Grammar: A countable noun: the windscreen was cracked.
Patterns
- clean the windscreen
- a crack in the windscreen
A stone hit the wind screen and left a small crack.
He scraped the ice off the wind screen before work.
The rain was so heavy that the wipers could hardly clear the wind screen.
nouncountable
A low transparent or solid panel set in front of something, such as on a motorbike or boat, to shield people from the wind.
Grammar: Usually used for smaller vehicles or open areas: a motorcycle wind screen.
Patterns
- fit a wind screen
The rider added a taller wind screen to the motorbike for long trips.
A glass wind screen on the terrace kept the cold breeze off the diners.
The boat's wind screen was fitted with a small wiper.
Word forms
| plural | wind screens |
|---|
Common combinations
- cracked wind screen
- He drove for a week with a cracked wind screen.
- clean the wind screen
- Please clean the wind screen before the long drive.
- wind screen wipers
- The wind screen wipers were squeaking in the rain.
- replace the wind screen
- The garage will replace the wind screen on Friday.
- misted-up wind screen
- A misted-up wind screen made it hard to see the road.
- wind screen washer
- Top up the wind screen washer fluid before winter.
Synonyms and how they differ
- windshield
- This is the American word for exactly the same part, so use it for American audiences.
- front glass
- This is an informal, less precise phrase for the same window.
- windbreak
- This is a barrier of any kind that shields from wind, not specifically a vehicle window.
Word family
- windscreen noun
- the normal one-word spelling
- windshield noun
- American term for the same thing
- wiper noun
- a blade that clears water from the glass
- windproof adjective
- able to keep wind out
Commonly confused: wind screen or windshield?
wind screen vs windshield
Windshield is American English; windscreen is British English. They mean the same thing.
Practice
In British English, what is the front glass window of a car called?
Choose one answer.
British speakers say windscreen. Windshield is the American word for the same part, while a dashboard and a sunroof are different parts.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wind screen”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.