westerly
adjective
moving, directed, or situated toward the west.
westerly
1 American
[wes-ter-lee]
/ ˈwɛs tər li /
adjective
-
moving, directed, or situated toward the west.
the westerly end of the field.
-
(especially of a wind) coming from the west.
a westerly gale.
adverb
-
toward the west.
to escape westerly.
-
from the west.
a sharp wind blowing westerly.
noun
plural
westerlies-
a wind that blows from the west.
an occasional westerly that pommeled the island.
-
(used with a plural verb) westerlies, any semipermanent belt of westerly winds, especially those that prevail at latitudes lying between the tropical and polar regions of the earth.
Westerly
2
American
[wes-ter-lee]
/ ˈwɛs tər li /
noun
westerly
British
/ ˈwɛstəlɪ /
adjective
adverb
-
towards or in the direction of the west
-
(esp of the wind) from the west
noun
westerly
Scientific
/ wĕs′tər-lē /
-
A wind, especially a prevailing wind, that blows from the west. The prevailing winds in the middle latitudes are westerlies.
-
See illustration at wind
westerly
Cultural
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of westerly
1570–80; west + -erly, as in easterly
Vocabulary lists containing westerly
Weather and Climate - Middle School
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Earth Science - Middle School
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Earth Science - High School
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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.
The residence—which is located in the exclusive enclave of Watch Hill in Westerly and is known locally as “Holiday House”—currently sprawls across 11,000 square feet and features seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 8, 2025
Recent measurements show that the Southern Westerly Winds are moving again, this time toward the South Pole as a result of climate change.
From Science Daily • Nov. 19, 2025
Westerly winds are forecast to pick up over Saturday.
From BBC • Dec. 20, 2024
Westerly winds from the Pacific Ocean drop their moisture when they push up over the Rocky Mountains, becoming high, dry and cool as they move farther east.
From Scientific American • May 11, 2023
Between Westerly and Mystic, the tracks are at an angle, embedded into the sloping land, so that the whole train threatens, ever so slightly, to topple over.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
