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

capitalized

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 capitalized

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

According to a preliminary investigation, a white SUV sped east on Linwood Boulevard and allegedly ran a red traffic light before colliding with the school bus. —Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 13 Sep. 2025

Charlotte is about 140 miles east of Rosman, which saw three quakes over four days in August, McClatchy News previously reported. —Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 13 Sep. 2025

Adjective

A couple-hundred miles east and 180 years earlier, in 1795, an Ontario farmer named John McIntosh came upon a couple dozen apple trees while clearing brush on his property. —Mark Dent, HubSpot, 12 Sep. 2025

On the northeast and east side, firefighting crews continue to mop up and strengthen existing lines by removing snags and completing hose lays across steep, rocky terrain, and old-growth vegetation. —Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 2025

Noun

Imagery captured by the European Space Agency's Sentinel-2 satellites shows the Chinese aircraft carrier Fujian sailing east of China's Yulin naval base in the southern province of Hainan on September 15, 2025. —Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025

Both helicopters departed from Hemet-Ryan Airport, east of Los Angeles, and about 18 miles from the fire on August 6, 2023. —Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025

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