west

1 of 3

adverb

: 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
With Washington Post journalists on board, the planes took off, flew west over Tel Aviv to the Mediterranean Sea and swiveled south toward Gaza. Claire Parker, Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2024 Since 2020, at least 17 retailers have left the best shopping area west of Manhattan. Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2024 An entire block immediately west of the now-vacant Star Press Pavilion is tax-exempt entirely, except for a small amount paid to support the KC Streetcar district, records show. Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 1 Mar. 2024 The greatest snowfall amounts will be realized just west of the Sierra ridge line, especially at elevations above 6,000 ft. Travel across the Sierra will likely be tricky well after the storm comes to an end as crews work to clear the roads. Nicholas Merianos, CBS News, 1 Mar. 2024 This conferred a particular freedom that Tahseen didn’t have: Once or twice a year, their mothers could drive them into the rolling hills west of Ramallah, through the cookie-cutter streets of Tel Aviv and then finally to the azure Mediterranean Sea. Rozina Ali, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2024 The Oregon Trail was a more than 2,000-mile wagon route that pioneers used to traverse the country west to the Oregon Territory, which included present-day Oregon and Washington. Denver Post, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024 The Super Bowl will be at Allegiant Stadium, about a mile west of the Strip. Fielding Buck, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024 Vermillion County is about 105 miles west of Indianapolis. Tj MacIas, Kansas City Star, 23 Feb. 2024
Adjective
On the west side of the state, the weather service also issued a tornado warning until 1:30 a.m. for Jackson and Ingham counties, and said tornadoes appeared to have touched down near Lawton, a village in Van Buren County between Benton Harbor and Kalamazoo, and near Marshall in Calhoun County. Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 28 Feb. 2024 One is speeding up construction of the Sites reservoir on the west side of the Sacramento Valley, which would absorb some high flows on the Sacramento River for later release during dry periods. Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2024 The only entrance to the establishment would be from the new South 43rd Street driveway near the west end of the site. Adrienne Davis, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024 The boy, identified as Kaiden Coke, was playing with a ball on the west side of Ringgold around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24, Louisiana State Police said in a news release. Mitchell Willetts, Miami Herald, 25 Feb. 2024 After passing through multiple police barricades and watching the increasingly violent crowd fight with police on the west front of the Capitol for more than an hour, Kuehne eventually entered the building at the Senate Wing Door, where the building had first been breached 12 minutes earlier. Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 23 Feb. 2024 Depending upon your point of reference, most people know Terry Allen as the west Texas musician behind the conceptual outlaw country albums Juarez and Lubbock, or as the polymath multimedia artist who attended the Chouinard Art Institute and palled around with the Cool School. Michael Slenske, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Feb. 2024 Authorities earlier this month took a teen into custody in a shooting five months ago that killed a west Phoenix girl in her bed. Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 23 Feb. 2024 Jacquelyn Golden, a full-time substitute at a west Columbus elementary school, has formed relationships with students, who confide in her and give her hugs in the hallway. Sarah Mervosh, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2024
Noun
Harrah’s Cherokee Casino is west of Asheville, near Maggie Valley about three hours west of Charlotte. Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 8 Mar. 2024 Since the clouds were thickest east of the city, more or less parallel to the Potomac River, the sky displayed a dramatic transition from blue-gray colors in the west and orange and red shades in the east. Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 Parts of Interstate 30 in far west Fort Worth were closed to traffic Thursday morning due to a crash but have since reopened, officials said. Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Mar. 2024 Simpson also helped restore the west Coconut Grove home of his wife’s grandfather, real estate pioneer E.W.F. Stirrup, which is now being rented for lodging and events. C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024 According to the Northwest Avalanche Center, two snowmobilers were riding Friday on Darland Mountain, in the Cascade Mountain Range west of Yakima, Washington, when an avalanche was triggered at around 6,600 feet. Lawrence Richard, Fox News, 5 Mar. 2024 Some light shower activity could develop west of I-75 late. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 4 Mar. 2024 Ukraine announced a withdrawal from Avdiivka on February 17 to a series of positions to the town’s west. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024 Whatever rain fell from the clouds was largely inconsequential around the city and to the west. Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024

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

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of west was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near west

Cite this Entry

“West.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/west. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

west

1 of 3 adverb
: 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 : regions or countries west of a point that is mentioned or understood

Biographical Definition

West 1 of 4

biographical name (1)

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

More from Merriam-Webster on west

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