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

Officers and paramedics responded to India Street near Vine Street, just east of Interstate 5, shortly before midnight and found a man believed to be about 60 who had been struck by a car while crossing mid-block, police said. —City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Nov. 2025

Just east of Yukon, the Northeast Territories is where wilderness meets comfort. —Marc Telio, Travel + Leisure, 30 Nov. 2025

Adjective

Much of the attention on the world's plunging birth rate is on east Asian countries like Japan and South Korea. —NPR, 28 Nov. 2025

Parts of central, east central, south central, and southeast South Dakota could get up to 8 inches by Saturday afternoon, and central, east central, southeast, and west central Illinois could see between 4 and 12 inches by Saturday night. —Amanda Greenwood, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2025

Noun

But the small places—especially those in the disconnected east—feel forgotten. —Ben Taub, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025

For now, most of the impacts from this system are expected to remain north and east of the Kansas City region. —Kansas City Star, 24 Nov. 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