east

1 of 3

adverb

ˈēst 

: to, toward, or in the east

east

2 of 3

adjective

1

: situated toward or at the east

an east window

2

: coming from the east

an east wind

east

3 of 3

noun

1

a

: the general direction of sunrise : the direction toward the right of one facing north

b

: the compass point directly opposite to west

2

East

a

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

b

: regions having a culture derived from ancient non-European especially Asian areas

3

: the altar end of a church

4

often East

a

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

b

: a person (such as a bridge player) occupying this position in the course of a specified activity

Examples of east in a Sentence

Adjective

the east side of town

Noun

The city is framed by mountain ranges to the east and west.

The wind blew from the east.

This summer has been unusually hot in the East.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Police are asking the public for help to find a suspect who fatally shot one person and injured three others in the Town of Strasburg, around 30 miles east of Aurora. —Christa Swanson, CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026

In 2022, Collins shifted gears, filing for the open congressional seat just east of Castor’s. —Shauna Muckle, Miami Herald, 12 Jan. 2026

Adjective

Moderate to occasionally heavy snowfall is moving across east-central and southeast Wisconsin, according to the advisory. —Adrienne Davis, jsonline.com, 10 Jan. 2026

Floor-to-ceiling windows wrap around most of the rooms, and every unit has an east and west terrace for enjoying the Florida sunshine. —Tori Latham, Robb Report, 8 Jan. 2026

Noun

Gusts locally up to 55 mph in the San Diego desert and near and east of Lucerne Valley. —Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 7 Jan. 2026

The sixth wave of rain in the past week will drench parts of San Diego County on Wednesday and will be followed Thursday by winds powerful enough to make driving difficult on Interstate 8 east of Alpine and cause widespread power outages, the National Weather Service says. —Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

Middle English est, from Old English ēast; akin to Old High German ōstar to the east, Latin aurora dawn, Greek ēōs, heōs

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 east

• back east
• down east
• east by north
• east by south
• east-northeast
• east-southeast
• north by east
• northeast by east
• south by east
• southeast by east
• the east

Rhymes for east

• beast
• ceased
• creased
• feast
• fleeced
• geest
• greased
• leased
• least
• pieced
• priest
• yeast

Kids Definition

east

1 of 3 adverb

ˈēst 

: to or toward the east

east

2 of 3 adjective

1

: located toward or at the east

the east door of the school

2

: coming from the east

an east wind

east

3 of 3 noun

1

a

: the general direction of sunrise

b

: the compass point directly opposite to west

2

capitalized : regions or countries east of a specific place