westerly

1 of 2

adjective or adverb

west·​er·​ly ˈwe-stər-lē 

1

: situated toward or belonging to the west

the westerly end of the farm

2

: coming from the west

a westerly breeze

westerly

2 of 2

noun

plural westerlies

: a wind from the west

Examples of westerly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective or adverb

California State Parks on Friday warned beachgoers a series of large westerly swells would hit the Central Coast over the weekend and into the first part of the week. —Jason Green, The Mercury News, 23 Dec. 2024

In addition, 2023 and 2024 featured a powerful El Niño, which tends to strengthen westerly winds in the Atlantic, making early development less likely. —Jim Foerster, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025

Noun

First, through a combination of weaker trade winds and westerlies over the tropical Atlantic, La Niña tends to create a more placid atmosphere. —Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 20 May 2024

Their modest city saw an influx of evacuees from nearby rural and coastal regions soon after hot westerlies sent walls of flame into a string of towns and villages around New Year's Eve. —NBC News, 11 Jan. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Adjective or adverb

obsolete wester western

First Known Use

Adjective Or Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1845, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for westerly

• northwesterly
• southwesterly

Kids Definition

westerly

1 of 2 adverb or adjective

west·​er·​ly ˈwes-tər-lē 

1

: toward the west

the ship sailed westerly

a westerly direction

2

: from the west

the wind blew westerly

a westerly breeze

westerly

2 of 2 noun

plural westerlies

: a wind blowing from the west

Geographical Definition

Westerly

geographical name

Wes·​ter·​ly ˈwe-stər-lē 

town in southwestern Rhode Island on the border with Connecticut population 17,936