defenestration
noun
Jane Bryant Quinn
Did you know?
These days, defenestration—from the Latin fenestra, meaning "window"—is often used to describe the forceful removal of someone from public office or from some other advantageous position. History's most famous defenestration, however, was one in which the tossing out the window was quite literal. On May 23, 1618, two imperial regents were found guilty of violating certain guarantees of religious freedom and were thrown out the window of Prague Castle. The men survived the 50-foot tumble into the moat, but the incident marked the beginning of the Bohemian resistance to Hapsburg rule that eventually led to the Thirty Years' War and came to be known as the Defenestration of Prague. It was, in fact, the third such historical defenestration in Prague, but it was the first to be referred to as such by English speakers.
Examples of defenestration in a Sentence
Claire Zillman, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2026
Their retreat is likely a consequence of the defenestration of fashion’s multi-brand retail model that occurred over the course of the past year, which created financial instability for brands.
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 11 Feb. 2026
Zhang and Liu’s defenestration is part of a wider pattern, says Chun Han Wong in The Wall Street Journal (New York).
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 7 Feb. 2026
Many deaths involve defenestration—falling from windows or balconies.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defenestration
Cite this Entry
“Defenestration.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defenestration. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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