defenestration
noun
de·fen·es·tra·tion
| \ (ˌ)dē-ˌfe-nə-ˈstrā-shən
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Definition of defenestration
1
: a throwing of a person or thing out of a window
assassination by defenestration
2
: a usually swift dismissal or expulsion (as from a political party or office)
the defenestration of political leaders the mass defenestration of middle management— Jane Bryant Quinn
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Other Words from defenestration
defenestrate
\ (ˌ)dē-ˈfe-nə-ˌstrāt
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transitive verb
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transitive verb
Examples of defenestration in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But by then, even key members of the elder Trump’s offensive line on the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees were backing way off the defenestration of Rosenstein. — Chris Stirewalt, Fox News, "Moral anchors aweigh on Kavanaugh, Rosenstein," 24 Sep. 2018 Fresh off its Pruitt defenestration, the left will be looking for new targets, so some advice to the rest of the Trump cabinet: Fly coach. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Pruitt Drowns in the Swamp," 5 July 2018 These are people that will strongly resist any defenestration of the heir apparent. — Ed Kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Actually, Pence’s Toadying Is His Best Shot at Becoming President," 17 May 2018 Expect defenestration, helicopter crashes, and exploding motorbikes. — Vogue, "A List of Every Single Movie That You Need to Know About Coming Out in Summer 2018," 22 May 2018 Still, several investors complained about the manner of Mr Cryan’s defenestration, which could make for a turbulent annual shareholders’ meeting next month. — The Economist, "Business this week," 12 Apr. 2018 McCabe’s testimony will not be altered by his sudden defenestration at the FBI. — Andrew Cohen, Esquire, "What Happens Now That McCabe Is Fired? Consider These Five Things.," 19 Mar. 2018 Donald Trump sacked Rex Tillerson as secretary of state, announcing the defenestration on Twitter. — The Economist, "Politics this week," 15 Mar. 2018 Whichever account suits your taste, none points to a cold-blooded defenestration. — Gregory Krieg, CNN, "Trump's new tagline: 'You were fired! A few hours ago'," 13 Mar. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'defenestration.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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