westward

adverb or adjective west·ward \ ˈwes-twərd \

|Updated on: 21 Jun 2018

Definition of westward

: toward the west

—

westwards

play \-twərdz\ adverb

See westward defined for English-language learners

See westward defined for kids

Recent Examples of westward from the Web

The bodies were uncovered just a few years ago, the teeth pulled and sent westward to the Max Planck Institute in Germany, where Maria Spyrou was working on a Ph.D. in paleogenetics.

— ike swetlitz, Scientific American, "Ancient Teeth Unlock Plague Secrets," 8 June 2018
The bodies were uncovered just a few years ago, the teeth pulled and sent westward to the Max Planck Institute in Germany, where Maria Spyrou was working on a Ph.D. in paleogenetics.

— ike swetlitz, STAT, "A set of ancient teeth unlock a bacterial secret about the bubonic plague," 8 June 2018
Prices range from around $400,000 or so for smaller, older homes that are often in need of work, to upward of $2 million for newer luxury properties in the East Hill area, which slopes westward from the top of the Palisades.

— kathleen lynn, New York Times, "Closter, N.J.: Strong Schools and a Revitalized Downtown," 30 May 2018
The watch was issued for portions of the northern Gulf Coast from Indian Pass, Fla., westward to Grand Isle, including Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas and metropolitan New Orleans, the Hurricane Center said in a 4 p.m. update.

— ben estes, NOLA.com, "Tropical storm watch issued for New Orleans area," 25 May 2018
The ice core shows increased lead pollution coming out of Europe starting around 1000 BCE, when the Phoenicians expanded westward from their homeland in the Eastern Mediterranean and reached important lead- and silver-mining areas in Spain.

— kiona n. smith, Ars Technica, "Greenland ice cores track Roman lead pollution in year-by-year detail," 15 May 2018
Otherwise, grab a Lyft and keep your gaze westward.

— crystal paul, The Seattle Times, "Seattle beyond the Space Needle: Pick an itinerary and explore this summer," 14 May 2018
Native peoples had been driven steadily westward in the decades prior to the war, as boatloads upon boatloads of land-hungry colonists pushed heedlessly (and often violently) into their territory.

— ryan p. smith, Smithsonian, "Why the Very First Treaty Between the United States and a Native People Still Resonates Today," 25 May 2018
Instead, Mitch moved westward and then southwestward, making a landfall in Honduras and Nicaragua.

— 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

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
More than a week in advance, the European model predicted an oddball westward jog in Sandy’s track, whereas the American model arced it eastward and harmlessly away from the East Coast.

— jeff halverson, Washington Post, "Why weather forecasters still struggle to get the big storms right," 6 Apr. 2018
The low-lying Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of the Bahamas, have been hit by Hurricane Irma as the now Category 4 storm continues to move north-westwards towards Florida.

— kate samuelson, Fortune, "‘We May Not Be Able to Rescue Residents In a Timely Manner.’ Turks & Caicos Hit By Hurricane Irma," 8 Sep. 2017
In mostly Orthodox Ukraine, as in Moldova, recognising December 25th is part of a westwards turn.

— The Economist, "So nice, they celebrate twiceThe countries that have two Christmases," 14 Dec. 2017