west

1 of 3

adverb

ˈwest 

: to, toward, or in the west

west

2 of 3

adjective

1

: situated toward or at the west

the west exit

2

: coming from the west

a west wind

west

3 of 3

noun

1

a

: the general direction of sunset : the direction to the left of one facing north

b

: the compass point directly opposite to east

2

capitalized

a

: regions or countries lying to the west of a specified or implied point of orientation

b

: the noncommunist countries of Europe and America

3

: the end of a church opposite the chancel

4

often capitalized

a

: the one of four positions at 90-degree intervals that lies to the west or at the left of a diagram

b

: a person (such as a bridge player) occupying this position during a specified activity

Examples of west in a Sentence

Adverb

They drove west after they got off the highway.

They live just west of here.

Adjective

cities on the west coast

Noun

There's a beautiful pond to the west of the trail.

We will be traveling into the city from the west.

If that way is east, then this way is west.

Floods have caused extensive damage in the West.

Come explore the natural wonders of the American West.

policies foreign to the West

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Roughly 10 miles west of the Brown Fire, the Rock Fire was reported minutes later in the 4400 block of Scott Road, north of Highway 16. —Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Kiko was moving slowly west at about 7 mph, a motion that was expected to continue over the next couple of days. —Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2025

Adjective

More than a year after launching in Flint, the program is open to eligible pregnant moms from parts of the Upper Peninsula and the west side of the state, and has garnered tens of millions of public and private dollars as well as interest from bipartisan lawmakers to propel its mission. —Nushrat Rahman, Freep.com, 3 Sep. 2025

With buzz building for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympics, the Dolomites are in the spotlight—but look west to Courmayeur in the Italian Alps. —Erica Firpo, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Noun

Firefighters also continued construction on containment lines to use as backup if needed to the west of the fire along the Secata Ridge and up around the north edge of the fire. —Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 5 Sep. 2025

The property where the body was discovered 15 days later is located approximately a half-mile west of Highway 15 in the Fork Community in Mississippi, not far from where Ingram was last scene on camera. —Jon Haworth, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German westar to the west and probably to Latin vesper evening, Greek hesperos

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing west

• galley-west
• north by west
• northwest by west
• out west
• south by west
• southwest by west
• west by north
• west by south
• west-northwest
• west-southwest

Rhymes for west

• blessed
• blest
• breast
• chest
• crest
• dressed
• fest
• gest
• geste
• guessed
• jest
• lest

Kids Definition

west

1 of 3 adverb

ˈwest 

: to or toward the west

west

2 of 3 adjective

1

: situated toward or at the west

the west entrance

2

: coming from the west

a west wind

west

3 of 3 noun

1

: the direction of sunset : the compass point opposite to east

2

capitalized

a

: regions or countries west of a point that is mentioned or understood

b

: the countries of Europe and the Americas that are not communist

Biographical Definition

West 1 of 4

biographical name (1)

ˈwest 

Benjamin 1738–1820 American painter

West

2 of 4

biographical name (2)

Nathanael 1903–1940 originally Nathan Wallenstein Weinstein American novelist

West

3 of 4

biographical name (3)

Dame Rebecca 1892–1983 pseudonym of Cicily Isabel Andrews née Fairfield English critic and novelist

West

4 of 4

biographical name (4)

Thomas see de la warr