westward

adverb or adjective west·ward \ ˈwes-twərd \

|Updated on: 15 Aug 2018

Definition of westward

: toward the west

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westwards

play \-twərdz\ adverb

See westward defined for English-language learners

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Recent Examples of westward from the Web

Eleven troop carrier trucks, ambulances, jeeps, and Humvees rolled westward along Broward Boulevard beginning at 9 a .m. Wednesday before going on display in the park east of the Davie Pine Island Aquatic Center on Southwest 92 Avenue.

— wayne k. roustan, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Fourth of July parade features vintage military vehicles that keep rolling and rolling and...," 4 July 2018
Several miles westward, nestled in Kilauea’s summit caldera, Halema‘uma‘u pit crater is evolving toward a hazardous scenario that reminds volcanologists like myself of a giant blowout that happened there in 1924.

— wendell duffield, Scientific American, "Kilauea’s Next Eruptions May Mirror a Big One in Its Past," 15 May 2018
The radar, permanently facing westward, is a silent sentry against surprise missile attack.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "This Remote Alaskan Radar Is America's First Line of Defense," 2 May 2018
Just an hour and a half drive westward is Margaret River, a town beloved for its surf and wine.

— christina liao, Vogue, "Why You Should Be Going to Australia for Fresh Black Truffles," 12 July 2018
The highest fire danger stretched from Los Angeles County westward into several counties up the coast where a north wind added another element to the mix of hot, dry air and parched vegetation.

— CBS News, "Southern California heat wave breaks records," 6 July 2018
The museum and visitor center attached to the monument built to celebrate U.S. westward expansion remained less well-known — until now.

— mary forgione, latimes.com, "Gateway Arch's $380-million makeover brings renovated museum and visitor center — and a new name," 4 July 2018
The Jeep, like a torpedo, flew past them westward on 23rd Street Friday afternoon west of Blue Ridge Boulevard toward Kansas City, with two Independence police cars following behind.

— joe robertson, katie bernard, glenn e. rice and ian cummings, kansascity, "'Somebody's going to die,' crash witness knew; Independence defends police chases," 4 June 2018
In August of that year, Category 5 Hurricane Mitch moved westward across the Caribbean Sea, threatening Central America.

— eric berger, Ars Technica, "Supercomputers are driving a revolution in hurricane forecasting," 9 May 2018

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

First Known Use of westward

before 12th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

westward

noun

Definition of westward

: westward direction or part

sail to the westward

Recent Examples of westward from the Web

The path of the relatively tiny Hurricane Beryl is currently tracking westwards through the Atlantic in the general direction of Puerto Rico.

— billy perrigo, Time, "Hurricane Beryl Is Officially the First Atlantic Hurricane of the Year. Here's Where it's Headed," 6 July 2018
One of the highlights is the new entrance into the arch, a light-gathering disk with a westward facing crescent entryway.

— gary garth, USA TODAY, "Gateway Arch: An American classic gets a major overhaul," 29 June 2018
Initially, the westward pull resulted from the nation’s rapid geographic expansion.

— mary carole mccauley, baltimoresun.com, "Artists explore American identity in Sondheim Artscape Prize exhibit," 21 June 2018
On this date: In 1492, a contract was signed by Christopher Columbus and a representative of Spain's King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, giving Columbus a commission to seek a westward ocean passage to Asia.

— staff, cleveland.com, "Comment here on cleveland.com court and crime stories for Tuesday, April 17, 2018," 17 Apr. 2018
Get our daily newsletter Via Pistoiese leads north-westwards from an ancient gate into a different world: the real Prato, a city of textiles, clothing and Chinese people of a different kind.

— The Economist, "Tuscan whineLong-term Chinese immigrants in Italy," 17 May 2018
Beijing also sees Iran as a vital notch in its Belt and Road project to spread Chinese influence and commerce westwards.

— tim lister, CNN, "The earthquake unleashed by Trump's departure from Iran nuclear deal," 8 May 2018
In 1492, a contract was signed by Christopher Columbus and a representative of Spain's King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, giving Columbus a commission to seek a westward ocean passage to Asia.

— azcentral, "AZ Memo: How to see meteor shows in Arizona; border agent's murder case goes to jury; education funding and future tech jobs," 17 Apr. 2018
In 1492, Christopher Columbus signed a contract with a representative of Spain’s King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, giving him a commission to seek a westward ocean passage to Asia.

— BostonGlobe.com, "This day in history," 16 Apr. 2018