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• western
  western

  adjective

  lying toward or situated in the west.
• Western
  Western

  adjective

  of, relating to, or characteristic of the West as opposed to the Orient

western

American  

[wes-tern] / ˈwɛs tərn /

adjective

1. lying toward or situated in the west.

   our company's western office.

2. directed or proceeding toward the west.

   a western migration.

3. coming or originating from the west, as a wind.

4. (often initial capital letter) of, pertaining to, living in, or characteristic of the West, especially the western U.S..

   a Western ranch.

5. (usually initial capital letter) Occidental.

   to adopt Western dress.

6. (usually initial capital letter) of or relating to the non-Communist countries of Europe and the Americas.

   Western trade agreements.

7. (initial capital letter) of or relating to the Western Church.

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noun

1. (often initial capital letter) a story, movie, or radio or television play about the U.S. West of the 19th century.

2. western sandwich.

3. a person or thing from a western region or country.

western ¹ British  

/ ˈwɛstən /

adjective

1. situated in or towards or facing the west

2. going or directed to or towards the west

3. (of a wind, etc) coming or originating from the west

4. native to, inhabiting, or growing in the west

5. music See country and western

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Western ² British  

/ ˈwɛstən /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the West as opposed to the Orient

2. (formerly) of, relating to, or characteristic of the Americas and the parts of Europe not under Communist rule

3. of, relating to, or characteristic of the western states of the US

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noun

1. a film, book, etc, concerned with life in the western states of the US, esp during the era of exploration and early development

Other Word Forms

• anti-Western
  adjective
• nonwestern
  adjective
• pro-Western
  adjective
• unwestern
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of western

before 1050; 1905–10 western for def. 8; Middle English, Old English westerne, equivalent to west west + -erne -ern

Explanation

Anything western comes from the west, like a western wind that blows your hair sideways. Western also refers to anything from that half of the world — North America and Europe — as well as old cowboy movies. Although western literally refers to anything in the west, like that wind or a direction on a compass, the Western world refers to the culture of the USA and Europe. The other is Eastern society, which includes Asia. They aren’t as popular now, but kids used to watch Westerns, also known as cowboy movies. If you go to a store that sells Western wear, you might walk out with a ten-gallon hat and red cowboy boots. Yeehaw!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

western Western

The collision occurred 18 nautical miles off Silivri district on the western edge of Istanbul province, with Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu telling journalists the damaged vessel had sunk "very quickly".

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

The district’s GOP Executive Committee selected state Rep. Jennifer Balkcom to replace him in the competitive race for the 11th Congressional District, which covers most of the western part of the state.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

The immediate family of the country western star who died last week gathered at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville on Friday morning.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026

For the rest of the day expect showers and longer spells of rain, with heavy downpours and thunderstorms possible, especially across western Scotland, Wales and north-west England.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

Jefferson, it must be remembered, had proposed the abolition of slavery in all the western territories.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Western officials have focused most of their recent efforts on closing loopholes and punishing circumvention.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

Details have yet to be confirmed for what happens with the Shetland, Orkney and Western Isles boards.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

In addition to Unite Here, Raman scooped up the endorsement of the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

For people born east of the Mississippi, Western art is one of those Potter Stewart things: They know it when they see it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

Other types of music, such as traditional Western African drumming, may have very complex meters that can be difficult for the beginner to identify.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones