broken windows

A form of broken windows theory — A criminological theory stating that signs of urban decay (e.g. broken windows, graffiti, loitering) signal that an area is not monitored, encouraging more destructive criminal behavior.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounbroken windows (uncountable)
  1. abbreviationellipsisuncountableEllipsis of broken windows theory.

    […] observed disorder did not match the theoretical expectations set up by the main thesis of "broken windows." Disorder is a moderate correlate of predatory crime, and it varies consistently with antecedent neighborhood characteristics.

    1999 November, Robert J. Sampson, Stephen W. Raudenbush, “Systematic Social Observation of Public Spaces: A New Look at Disorder in Urban Neighborhoods”, in American Journal of Sociology, volume 105, number 3, page 637
  2. abbreviationellipsisuncountableEllipsis of broken windows policing.

    Broken windows has helped reduce crime in cities across the nation. Zero tolerance has undermined the popular support upon which effective crime-fighting ultimately relies.

    2000 April 10, Jeffrery Rosen, “Excessive Force”, in The New Republic
Cite this entry
APA

broken windows. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/broken%20windows

MLA

“broken windows.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/broken%20windows. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “broken windows,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/broken%20windows.

Source: broken windows on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.