Wild West
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of Wild West
An Americanism dating back to 1850–55
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.
It reminds me of the old joke about the guy in the Wild West who, before he was hanged for horse stealing, said “This will be a real lesson to me,” mournfully, from the scaffold.
From MarketWatch • May 13, 2026
The prediction markets have spent a lot of energy of late angling to convince people that they are not the complete and total Wild West that they have often appeared to be.
From Slate • Apr. 24, 2026
The trend underscores a Wild West internet landscape that is largely bereft of guardrails as false narratives erode digital trust.
From Barron's • Apr. 11, 2026
Some lawmakers and researchers, however, argue that lax regulation has fostered a nonprofit Wild West.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026
Though he wasn’t yet forty, he was in danger of becoming a relic in a Wild West traveling show, living but dead.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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.
