Wild West

noun

: the western U.S. in its frontier period characterized by roughness and lawlessness
Wild West adjective

Examples of Wild West in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Unlike other Wild West figures who were lathered in hagiography, Reeves needed no embellishment. Wil Haygood, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2023 The town itself has a Wild West feel, a few different natural hot springs, and more than 100 restaurants and bars. Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 27 Oct. 2023 There’s a Wild West of audio lit out there, all for free (via LibriVox). Paul Grimstad, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2023 And for the most part, governments and international organizations are running behind the facts in regulating it, leaving the door open to a Wild West, with more losers than winners. Claire Zillman, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2023 But The Real Wild West also misses an opportunity worthy of the Gold Rush. Chris Vognar, Rolling Stone, 4 July 2023 The show was set in the archetypal Wild West and centered on an itinerant cowboy-gunman named Dave Blassingame, whose occasional partner in mischief is a voluble gambler, Burgundy Smith. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2023 Nelson, whose stage name at the height of her career was Molly Spotted Elk, was a Penobscot dancer from Maine who spent much of her young adult life performing both traditional and popular dances in vaudeville troupes, chorus lines, Wild West shows and nightclubs. Will Dudding, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2023 That kind of reaction doesn’t deter Mr. Lawson, 42, who manages the tribe’s internet company along with his small charging business, Wild West EV. Jack Ewing, New York Times, 17 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Wild West.' 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

1844, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Wild West was in 1844

Dictionary Entries Near Wild West

Cite this Entry

“Wild West.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Wild%20West. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

Wild West

noun
: the western U.S. in its frontier period characterized by roughness and lawlessness
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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