a cardinal point of the compass, 90° to the right of north. E
the direction in which this point lies.
(usually initial capital letter) a quarter or territory situated in this direction.
the East,
the parts of Asia collectively lying east of Europe and including Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia, India, China, etc.
East Asia.
(formerly) the Soviet Union and its allies.
the part of the U.S. east of the Mississippi River.
the part of the U.S. east of the Allegheny Mountains.
New England.
Ancient and Medieval History. the Eastern Roman Empire.
directed or proceeding toward the east.
coming from the east.
an east wind.
lying toward or situated in the east.
the east side.
Ecclesiastical. being at the end of the church where the high altar is.
an east window.
the continent of Asia regarded as culturally distinct from Europe and the West; the Orient
the countries under Communist rule and formerly under Communist rule, lying mainly in the E hemisphere Compare West
the area north of the Ohio and east of the Mississippi
the area north of Maryland and east of the Alleghenies
one of the four cardinal points of the compass, 90° clockwise from north and 180° from west
the direction along a parallel towards the sunrise, at 90° to north; the direction of the earth's rotation
(often capital) any area lying in or towards the east
cards (usually capital) the player or position at the table corresponding to east on the compass
situated in, moving towards, or facing the east
(esp of the wind) from the east
in, to, or towards the east
archaic (of the wind) from the 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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The boy, who became stranded during a family day out from Barking, east London, was airlifted to hospital and remained there in a critical condition on Friday.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Extra water is being released from reservoirs to support flows on the Clwyd and Wye as well as the river Severn in the south east and the Dee in north-east Wales.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
The July 21 edition of this newsletter incorrectly said it was traveling east of the Mississippi for the first time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
On Wednesday, swathes of other areas, including the central hub of Nagoya and communities near Tokyo in the east, were enduring temperatures approaching or exceeding 40C.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
It could have been beautiful, if Nim hadn’t known that Jack was on the west side of the island, being tossed even farther from home, and Alex was on the east being thrown toward it.
From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr
“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
“Everything that’s happening in the Middle East. I’m seeing prices rise at the supermarket. And of course we have this constant thread of AI data-centers being built.”
From Barron's ● Apr. 15, 2026
"We now sell mostly to South America and the Middle East. We are not lacking money, we are rich."
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2025
“He shares the goal for an end to the violence and a just, lasting peace in the Middle East. He’s working tirelessly to that end.”
From New York Times ● Mar. 5, 2024
“He had an engaging naivete about the East. He had never seen a skyscraper.”
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
The authorities had deployed security forces across major cities in the East African nation on 7 July and warned that they would act against anyone accused of inciting unrest.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The second quarter marked a return to year-over-year revenue growth outside the Middle East, SLB said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
The data will give a picture of how the country’s economy was performing ahead of renewed hostilities in the Middle East and a jump higher in oil prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Their findings point to northern Africa and the Middle East during the Early Miocene.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026
In early August, Walter Ulbricht, the dictator of East Germany, traveled to Moscow to meet with Nikita Khrushchev about the ongoing crisis in Berlin.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
