east

1 of 3

adverb

ˈēst 

: to, toward, or in the east

east

2 of 3

adjective

1

: situated toward or at the east

an east window

2

: coming from the east

an east wind

east

3 of 3

noun

1

a

: the general direction of sunrise : the direction toward the right of one facing north

b

: the compass point directly opposite to west

2

East

a

: regions lying to the east of a specified or implied point of orientation

b

: regions having a culture derived from ancient non-European especially Asian areas

3

: the altar end of a church

4

often East

a

: the one of four positions at 90-degree intervals that lies to the east or at the right of a diagram

b

: a person (such as a bridge player) occupying this position in the course of a specified activity

Examples of east in a Sentence

Adjective

the east side of town

Noun

The city is framed by mountain ranges to the east and west.

The wind blew from the east.

This summer has been unusually hot in the East.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Law enforcement went to the location, in the municipality of Talamanca about 105 miles east of the capital San Jose, and confirmed the death, according to OIJ spokesman Carlos Valverde. —Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026

The worst of the snow fell east of the city, while northern and western suburbs hardly tallied any. —Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 16 Feb. 2026

Adjective

While the state’s current collectors operate over 2,113 collection points, they are heavily clustered near hubs like San Francisco and Los Angeles—leaving rural counties, like those in northern and east-central California, with subpar access. —Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 9 Feb. 2026

On Monday afternoons, Fred Zackery pulls a chair up to the microphone at a small AM radio station on the banks of the Coosa River in east Alabama and starts to share what’s on his mind. —Margaret Kates, AJC.com, 9 Feb. 2026

Noun

The redrawn map trimmed off sections of the current district to the north and east. —William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 15 Feb. 2026

The intersection where Emery was killed is a block east of Encinitas Boulevard’s intersection with El Camino Real — a place where the city once had red light cameras. —Barbara Henry, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

Middle English est, from Old English ēast; akin to Old High German ōstar to the east, Latin aurora dawn, Greek ēōs, heōs

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing east

• back east
• down east
• east by north
• east by south
• east-northeast
• east-southeast
• north by east
• northeast by east
• south by east
• southeast by east
• the east

Rhymes for east

• beast
• ceased
• creased
• feast
• fleeced
• geest
• greased
• leased
• least
• pieced
• priest
• yeast

Kids Definition

east

1 of 3 adverb

ˈēst 

: to or toward the east

east

2 of 3 adjective

1

: located toward or at the east

the east door of the school

2

: coming from the east

an east wind

east

3 of 3 noun

1

a

: the general direction of sunrise

b

: the compass point directly opposite to west

2

capitalized : regions or countries east of a specific place