eastern
Americanadjective
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lying toward or situated in the east.
the eastern half of the island.
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directed or proceeding toward the east.
an eastern route.
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coming from the east.
an eastern wind.
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(often initial capital letter) of or relating to the East in the U.S..
an eastern congressman.
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(initial capital letter) of or relating to the Eastern Church or to any of the churches comprising it.
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(usually initial capital letter) of, relating to, or characteristic of the East; Oriental.
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(usually initial capital letter) (formerly) of or relating to the Soviet Union and its allies.
adjective
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situated in or towards the east
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facing or moving towards the east
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of eastern
before 1000; Middle English esterne, Old English ēasterne; akin to Old Norse austroenn, Old High German ōstrōni. See east , -ern
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On Wednesday, with cooler air spreading in across northern England, the Midlands and eastern England some locations will see a 10-degree drop in temperature.
From BBC • May 27, 2026
An inside student might say that prisons in eastern Oregon used to be mental institutions and Army barracks; an outside student might speak about modernity and the need for discipline and control under capitalism.
From Slate • May 27, 2026
Belgacem Haftar, son of eastern Libya's military chief Khalifa Haftar, touted in an interview with AFP what he called a push to make up for more than 40 "lost years" under slain ruler Muammar Gaddafi.
From Barron's • May 26, 2026
By comparison, only one out of 55 eastern ribbon snakes and three out of 36 ring necked snakes tested positive.
From Science Daily • May 26, 2026
It had been a large snake—as many of the rattlers in eastern Texas seem to be—and a solid direct strike.
From This Side of Wild by Gary Paulsen
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.
