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

Allie is perched across the table from me on the porch at her family home, which is nestled along Lake Minnehaha in Clermont, Florida, a city 20 miles west of Orlando. —Avery Stone, HollywoodReporter, 20 June 2025

To be built in near Chandra Asri’s existing petrochemical plant in Cilegon, about 100 kilometers west of Jakarta, the facility will produce 400,000 tons of caustic soda and 500,000 tons of ethylene dichloride per year when completed in 2027, the company said in a statement on Tuesday. —Yessar Rosendar, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025

Adjective

The new head coach opens with a testing trip to the City Ground, while there will be two early west London derbies at home to Chelsea and away to Fulham. —Colin Millar, New York Times, 18 June 2025

The Park District initially plans to redevelop 90 acres of the Howe center on the west side of the property, just east of Veterans Parkway and south of the Tinley Park 80th Avenue Metra station. —Mike Nolan, Chicago Tribune, 17 June 2025

Noun

In the west the mountains were just like the song, purple, majestic. —Literary Hub, 23 June 2025

During the event, which will take place after sunset in the west, the two solar system objects will appear less than a fifth of a degree apart at their closest. —Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 23 June 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