western

adjective west·ern \ ˈwe-stərn \

|Updated on: 12 Jun 2018

Examples: western in a Sentence

Definition of western

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

—

westernmost

play \ˈwe-stərn-ˌmōst\ adjective

See western defined for English-language learners

See western defined for kids

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

When picking team managers, wise countries pass over their national heroes and appoint managers of any nationality who have proved themselves in western Europe’s tough football leagues.

— The Economist, "For all its faults, the World Cup in Russia is worth celebrating," 9 June 2018
Suspect in slaying of German girl arrested in Iraq: The German government said an Iraqi man suspected in the rape and killing of a 14-year-old girl in western Germany has been arrested in his homeland.

— Washington Post, "World Digest: June 8, 2018," 8 June 2018
With the growing metropolis bursting at the seams as its population exploded after the opening of the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913, residential developers began taking advantage of the availability of cheap farmland in the western reaches of town.

— scott garner, latimes.com, "Neighborhood Spotlight: Rancho Park takes its spot in a post-modest world," 8 June 2018
Oil produced in western Pennsylvania slipped right in.

— david r. baker, San Francisco Chronicle, "‘Energy: A Human History,’ by Richard Rhodes," 7 June 2018
The country's seismology and volcanology institute warned of new flows descending through canyons on the volcano's western slope toward the Pantaleon River, carrying boulders and tree trunks.

— Fox News, "At Guatemala volcano, weather and danger hinder search," 7 June 2018
DiCaprio will play Rick Dalton, a fallen star of a western TV series, and Pitt will portray his longtime stunt double, Cliff Booth.

— refinery29.com, "Fred Andrews Is Joining Quentin Tarantino's Manson Murder Movie," 7 June 2018
According to the head of the police for western Hesse, Stefan Müller, the man appeared to have left Germany several days ago in haste, together with his parents and five siblings.

— timothy jones, USA TODAY, "Iraqi refugee suspected in murder of 14-year-old girl leaves Germany, police say," 7 June 2018
Lackey, the western Louisville resident, said instead of looking for more space at a new lot, the city should listen to residents who want police to start scrapping vehicles that have been at the site six months or more.

— phillip m. bailey, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville is littered with abandoned cars, and residents aren't happy," 7 June 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

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

western

noun

Definition of western

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

Recent Examples of western from the Web

There’s a fast-moving heist movie/Alistair MacLean runaway-train thriller that takes up an early chunk of the film, and the nods to classic westerns are everywhere.

— ty burr, BostonGlobe.com, "‘Solo’ turns an iconic character’s backstory into a decent B-movie," 22 May 2018
His varied career has taken him from dramas like Cop Land and Girl, Interrupted to westerns like 3:10 to Yuma, but genre fans will know him best as the writer-director of the Wolverine swan song Logan.

— bryan bishop, The Verge, "The director of Logan is reportedly making a Boba Fett movie," 24 May 2018
The 326-acre park, part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, was once Paramount Pictures’ outdoor studio, where countless Hollywood westerns were filmed.

— hadley meares, Los Angeles Magazine, "10 Historic L.A. Places to Visit on a Sunny Day," 14 May 2018
Brokeback Mountain,’’ and sundry westerns, which is helmed by another first-timer: Robin Javonne Smith, making a strong directorial debut after performing in numerous Orphans shows.

— don aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, "It’s a wild, wild West in Landry’s ‘Brokelahomo!’," 2 May 2018
In November, a 7.2-magnitude quake hit western Iran, killing more than 600.

— Fox News, "5.2-magnitude earthquake rattles southern Iran," 2 May 2018
After all, in the 1950s there were all sorts of genres in comic books: horror, funny animals, westerns, romance.

— jeet heer, The New Republic, "Is Marvel Killing the Movies?," 1 May 2018
From horror movies to westerns, Texas has served as the background for numerous films in just about every genre imaginable.

— william axford, Houston Chronicle, "Dreaming of Hollywood? Visit these former movie sets in Texas," 25 Apr. 2018
Rogue One mixed elements of espionage thrillers and gritty war movies; Solo looks set to mix up westerns and the good old heist caper.

— jonathan m. gitlin, Ars Technica, "New Solo trailer: “I’ve got a really good feeling about this.”," 9 Apr. 2018

First Known Use of western

1612

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Broadcasting Terms

continuity, dissolve, fade, feed, remote, residual, spike, wipe

WESTERN Defined for English Language Learners

western

adjective

Definition of western for English Language Learners

: located in or toward the west
Western : of or relating to the countries of North America and Western Europe
: of or relating to the American West

western

noun

Definition of western for English Language Learners

: a story, movie, or television show about life in the American West in the late 19th century; especially : a movie about cowboys

WESTERN Defined for Kids

western

adjective west·ern \ ˈwe-stərn \

Definition of western for Students

1 often capitalized : of, relating to, or like that of the West

2 : lying toward or coming from the west

western

noun, often capitalized

Definition of western for Students

: a story, film, or radio or television show about life in the western United States especially in the last part of the 19th century

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Spanish Central: Translation of western Nglish: Translation of western for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of western for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about western

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western

Definition of western

westernmost

Examples of western in a Sentence

Recent Examples of western from the Web

Origin and Etymology of western

western

Definition of western

Recent Examples of western from the Web

First Known Use of western

Other Broadcasting Terms

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WESTERN Defined for English Language Learners

western

Definition of western for English Language Learners

western

Definition of western for English Language Learners

WESTERN Defined for Kids

western

Definition of western for Students

western

Definition of western for Students

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