western

adjective west·ern \ ˈwe-stərn \

Updated on: 18 Apr 2018

1 a : coming from the west

a western storm

b : situated or lying toward the west

islands in the western half of the archipelago

2 or Western : of, relating to, or characteristic of a region conventionally designated West: such as

a : steeped in or stemming from the Greco-Roman traditions

Western culture

b : of or relating to the noncommunist countries of Europe and America

Western powers

c : of, relating to, or characteristic of the American West

Western clothes

western music

3 Western : of or relating to the Roman Catholic or Protestant segment of Christianity

Western liturgies

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westernmost

play \ˈwe-stərn-ˌmōst\ adjective

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Examples of western in a Sentence

the western part of the state
Old western movies are my favorites.

Recent Examples of western from the Web

The vehicle went into the water off the eastbound lanes in western Broward County.

— linda trischitta, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Divers find man's body in truck after crash along Alligator Alley in western Broward County," 13 Apr. 2018
He was accompanied by Mrs. Roosevelt and Mrs. Arthur Murray, wife of Major General Murray, commanding the western division of the United States army, with headquarters at the Presidio, San Francisco.

— sandiegouniontribune.com, "April 13, 1914: San Diego to be Great Navy Base, Says Roosevelt," 13 Apr. 2018
And while countries like Colombia and Brazil have received more Venezuelans than Peru — this Andean nation western South America has earned a reputation as place where exiles can thrive.

— jim wyss, miamiherald, "Peru is hotbed for Venezuelan dissidents | Miami Herald," 12 Apr. 2018
This facility is part of LG’s new research and development center in western Seoul, and it’s set up with the express goal of speeding up Android software updates for LG phone owners around the world.

— vlad savov, The Verge, "LG sets up a Software Upgrade division to make its Android updates suck less," 12 Apr. 2018
Take-off times from Oakland are at 5:05 p.m. Norwegian Air is one of several discount European airlines that have begun adding flights between western U.S. cities and Europe in recent years.

— tony bizjak, sacbee, "Direct flights to Paris - cheap ones - just got closer to Sacramento’s door | The Sacramento Bee," 10 Apr. 2018
The statement said the planes had fired from Lebanese airspace and that Syria’s air defense systems shot down five of the missiles, while three struck the western side of the T4 military base.

— megan decker, Harper's BAZAAR, "How You Can Help the People of Syria," 9 Apr. 2018
At least 14 people are dead after a passenger bus carrying a junior league hockey team in western Canada’s Saskatchewan province crashed into a tractor-trailer on Friday, police confirmed.

— dave quinn, PEOPLE.com, "At Least 14 Dead in Bus Crash Involving Canadian Junior Hockey Team," 7 Apr. 2018
Where to Wine in Walla Walla L’ecole and Woodward Canyon For a crash course in Walla Walla wine history, head to the western edge of town.

— christina pérez, Vogue, "Why Walla Walla, Washington Should be Your Next Wine Region Vacation," 6 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'western.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of western

Middle English westerne, from Old English; akin to Old High German westrōni western, Old English west

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

western

noun

1 : one that is produced in or characteristic of a western region and especially the western U.S.

2 often capitalized : a novel, story, motion picture, or broadcast dealing with life in the western U.S. especially during the latter half of the 19th century

See western defined for English-language learners