windscreen

IPA/ˈwɪndskriːn/
IPA/ˈwɪndskriːn/

windscreen — noun

  • windscreensingular
  • windscreensplural

1. A protective glass panel fitted across a car's front end, letting the driver see

1.名詞B1
釋義

A protective glass panel fitted across a car's front end, letting the driver see the road while blocking wind, rain, and small stones.

例句

A stone hit Brian's windscreen on the motorway and left a small crack.

collocation: cracked windscreen

Élise scraped the frost off her windscreen on a cold winter morning.

同義詞
  • windshield

    American English equivalent; learners sitting a British English exam should use 'windscreen'

  • front window

    less technical term used in everyday speech

用法筆記

This is the British English term. In American English, the same car part is called a 'windshield'. Frequent in compound nouns: 'windscreen wiper', 'windscreen washer'.

常見錯誤

❌I need to replace my windshield.' (in a British English context)
✅I need to replace my windscreen.
💡'windshield' is the American term; 'windscreen' is the British term.
❌The windscreen viper needs new blades.
✅The windscreen wiper needs new blades.
💡'viper' is a snake; the rubber blade that cleans the glass is a 'wiper'.

2. A line of tall plants, a wall, or a fence placed in a position that stops the wi

2.名詞B2
釋義

A line of tall plants, a wall, or a fence placed in a position that stops the wind from reaching a particular area, such as a garden or a field.

例句

The tall hedge acted as a windscreen, blocking the sea wind from the garden.

pattern: act as a windscreen

Farmers often plant trees as a windscreen to protect their crops from the wind.

同義詞
  • windbreak

    more common term in both British and American English for this meaning

  • shelter belt

    technical term used in agriculture and forestry

用法筆記

This sense is less common than sense 1 and typically appears in the phrase 'as a windscreen'. The compound noun 'windbreak' is more frequent for this meaning in both British and American English.

常見錯誤

❌We built a windscreen to block the neighbour's view.
✅We built a windscreen to protect the plants from the wind.
💡'windscreen' in this sense blocks wind, not sight. For blocking sight, use 'screen' or 'privacy fence'.