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• east
  east

  noun

  a cardinal point of the compass, 90° to the right of north. E
• East.
  East.

  abbreviation

  eastern.
• East
  East

  noun

  the continent of Asia regarded as culturally distinct from Europe and the West; the Orient

east

¹ American  

[eest] / ist /

noun

1. a cardinal point of the compass, 90° to the right of north. E

2. the direction in which this point lies.

3. (usually initial capital letter) a quarter or territory situated in this direction.

4. the East,

   1. the parts of Asia collectively lying east of Europe and including Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia, India, China, etc.

   2. East Asia.

   3. (formerly) the Soviet Union and its allies.

   4. the part of the U.S. east of the Mississippi River.

   5. the part of the U.S. east of the Allegheny Mountains.

   6. New England.

   7. Ancient and Medieval History. the Eastern Roman Empire.

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adjective

1. directed or proceeding toward the east.

2. coming from the east.

   an east wind.

3. lying toward or situated in the east.

   the east side.

4. Ecclesiastical. being at the end of the church where the high altar is.

   an east window.

adverb

1. to, toward, or in the east.

   an island located east of Sumatra; He went east.

East. ² American  

Or east.

abbreviation

1. eastern.

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East ¹ British  

/ iːst /

noun

1. the continent of Asia regarded as culturally distinct from Europe and the West; the Orient

2. the countries under Communist rule and formerly under Communist rule, lying mainly in the E hemisphere Compare West

3. 1. the area north of the Ohio and east of the Mississippi

   2. the area north of Maryland and east of the Alleghenies

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adjective

1. 1. of or denoting the eastern part of a specified country, area, etc

   2. ( as part of a name )

      East Sussex

east ² British  

/ iːst /

noun

1. one of the four cardinal points of the compass, 90° clockwise from north and 180° from west

2. the direction along a parallel towards the sunrise, at 90° to north; the direction of the earth's rotation

3. (often capital) any area lying in or towards the east

4. cards (usually capital) the player or position at the table corresponding to east on the compass

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adjective

1. situated in, moving towards, or facing the east

2. (esp of the wind) from the east

adverb

1. in, to, or towards the east

2. archaic (of the wind) from the east

Other Word Forms

• eastness
  noun
• Eastern
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of east

First recorded before 900; Middle English est, Old English ēast; cognate with German ost, Old Norse austr; akin to Latin aurōra, Greek aúōs (Aeolic dialect variant of ēṓs, héōs ) “dawn”; see Easter

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

east East. East

The goal, he said: “conducting high-end naval operations against another great power, the U.S., as far east as possible.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

De La Cruz’s campaign office is a former restaurant space on a state highway in Weslaco, a sprawling town just east of McAllen.

From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2026

On Sunday morning the areas most at risk of seeing dense fog patches are parts of the Midlands, east Wales and eastern England.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

Located 47 miles east of Los Angeles in the northwest corner of Riverside County, Jurupa Valley wasn’t incorporated as a city until 2011.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026

“No. They’re from the West. But they fought east with the Army of the Potomac. Iron-willed, they never gave up. They won battles ordinary troops would’ve lost.”

From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

“We can’t find a zero risk route option any longer through the Middle East. It just isn’t there,” Zee said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

"We signed with many publishers in the US, big names in the Middle East. Things are moving very rapidly."

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

“The reflation trade has made a comeback in recent weeks due to the war in the Middle East. Going forward, the risk is that a higher-for-longer oil regime continues to fuel reflation fears.”

From MarketWatch ● May 2, 2026

“The fighting there is not as intense as it is in the East. Some Russian units attacking Kharkiv were also redirected to Kursk as Ukraine managed to stall the Russian onslaught there,” he added.

From BBC ● Nov. 19, 2024

"The Arryns have always been Wardens of the East. The title goes with the domain."

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

Global interest in UUVs has soared since the start of the Middle East war when Iran claimed control of the Strait of Hormuz, said Grace Chia, chief executive of Singapore autonomous underwater vehicles firm BeeX.

From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026

The breeze will deliver a scattering of showers - most frequent in East Anglia and south-east England.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

The Middle East produced only 18.1% of the world’s natural gas in 2025, against 35.2% in the Western Hemisphere.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

Carried by winds to nearby Singapore and Malaysia, the toxic smog has in recent weeks impacted populations across maritime South East Asia, triggering respiratory illnesses and headaches.

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026

I worried that they might affect Joylette, who was now living with her husband in East Orange, New Jersey, with my first grandchildren, Laurie and Troy.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

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