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

capitalized

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 capitalized

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

Ben Armstrong, co-owner of the massive fright-factory on a sprawling 10-acre property just east of Atlanta that ushers in more than a thousand people each night, describes the experience as more of an action movie than a horror one. —Isabel Rosales, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025

Londonderry Seven miles east of Bromley Mountain Ski Resort is the town of Londonderry, Vermont, and its less crowded ski area, Magic Mountain Ski Area. —Megan Margulies, Travel + Leisure, 24 Oct. 2025

Adjective

Portions of northern and east-central Indiana are affected by the warning. —Deputy News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025

Dinosaur mummy zone Senior author of the study, Paul Sereno, PhD, Professor of Organismal Biology and Anatomy at the University of Chicago, and his team relocated the sites in east-central Wyoming where several famous dinosaur mummies were discovered in the early 20th century. —Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025

Noun

Firefighters were dispatched to a home in the 50200 block of M-43 in Arlington Township, east of Bangor, after a fire was reported by a person driving by. —Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 27 Oct. 2025

Chef-owner Brian Baik, who spent time back east at Eleven Madison Park, will soon open a tasting menu restaurant next door. —Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025

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