westward

1 of 2

adverb or adjective

west·​ward ˈwes-twərd How to pronounce westward (audio)
: toward the west
westwards adverb

westward

2 of 2

noun

: westward direction or part
sail to the westward

Examples of westward in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adverb or adjective
Military radar captured it veering dramatically off its intended path, heading westward, before the signal was lost. Frances Vinall, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024 Russian troops captured Avdiivka 12 days ago and the front line has shifted westward, threatening the next Ukrainian farms and villages that lie in their path. Oleksandr Chubko, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 By the end of the 2000s, via ferratas had begun pushing westward, with a handful of routes, including the Telluride Via Ferrata, emerging on private land in the Rocky Mountains. Shoshi Parks, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Feb. 2024 A week ago, Moscow captured the city of Avdiivka, a Ukrainian stronghold in the east, and its troops have been slowly pushing westward in recent days, trying to build on their momentum in the area. Constant Méheut, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2024 The Vietnamese army had pushed what remained of the Khmer Rouge westward into the forests near Thailand, where there was still heavy fighting. Chantha Nguon, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Feb. 2024 The epic saga follows Seydou (Seydou Sarr) and Moussa (Moustapha Fall), 16-year-old cousins who embark from Senegal toward Italy, first traveling westward by bus through Mali and Niger and then, fake passports in hand, trekking north across the Sahara toward Tripoli and the Mediterranean on foot. Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 20 Feb. 2024 Considering that six million fled Ukraine and eight million were internally displaced since the invasion began, credible estimates project that if Putin wins now over 20 million Ukrainians will flee westward. Andy J. Semotiuk, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 Bat populations across the country are in decline, in part because of a deadly fungus that is spreading westward from the East Coast. Joan Morris, The Mercury News, 19 Feb. 2024
Noun
Tuul & Bruno Morandi/Getty Images For centuries, traders journeyed along the ancient Silk Road, weaving westwards from China to Iran and Turkey, sharing their stories and cultures alongside textiles, tea, and perfume. Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Nov. 2023 The rest congregated, checked in with team leaders, and hopped into an assortment of cars bound for various points along the winding westward route that ultimately leads to the Tanglewood gate in Lenox, 150 miles away. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 2 July 2023 Is midtown’s westward shift likely to be decisive enough to justify reorienting the whole station, or would the HOK/PAU design merely wind up proffering an extravagant back door? Curbed, 28 June 2023 And last week, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control warned that the Aedes albopictus species – which can transmit dengue and chikungunya – is pushing northwards and westwards in Europe as climate change grips the world’s fastest warming continent. Laura Paddison, CNN, 29 June 2023 The hurricane was moving west near 17 mph and a general westward to west-northwestward motion was forecast through Friday – followed by a general westward to west-southwestward motion. Julia Musto, Fox News, 19 Aug. 2021 Where the Saudis once shipped their oil westward, their biggest customer today is China. Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Mar. 2023 Fears that Europe could run low on natural gas this winter eased, sending fuel prices lower, after Russian President Vladimir Putin told Gazprom PJSC to ship more gas westward. Joe Wallace, WSJ, 28 Oct. 2021 To compensate for the visual gap left at the commanding southwest corner of the building, seven statues were shifted one pedestal westward, leaving Zoroaster in the place of Muhammad. Dan Bilefsky, New York Times, 25 Jan. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'westward.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb Or Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

circa 1596, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of westward was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near westward

Cite this Entry

“Westward.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/westward. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

westward

1 of 2 adverb or adjective
west·​ward ˈwes-twərd How to pronounce westward (audio)
: toward the west
westwards adverb

westward

2 of 2 noun
: westward direction or part

More from Merriam-Webster on westward

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