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• east
  east

  noun

  a cardinal point of the compass, 90° to the right of north. E
• East.
  East.

  abbreviation

  eastern.
• East
  East

  noun

  the continent of Asia regarded as culturally distinct from Europe and the West; the Orient

east

¹ American  

[eest] / ist /

noun

1. a cardinal point of the compass, 90° to the right of north. E

2. the direction in which this point lies.

3. (usually initial capital letter) a quarter or territory situated in this direction.

4. the East,

   1. the parts of Asia collectively lying east of Europe and including Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia, India, China, etc.

   2. East Asia.

   3. (formerly) the Soviet Union and its allies.

   4. the part of the U.S. east of the Mississippi River.

   5. the part of the U.S. east of the Allegheny Mountains.

   6. New England.

   7. Ancient and Medieval History. the Eastern Roman Empire.

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adjective

1. directed or proceeding toward the east.

2. coming from the east.

   an east wind.

3. lying toward or situated in the east.

   the east side.

4. Ecclesiastical. being at the end of the church where the high altar is.

   an east window.

adverb

1. to, toward, or in the east.

   an island located east of Sumatra; He went east.

East. ² American  

Or east.

abbreviation

1. eastern.

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East ¹ British  

/ iːst /

noun

1. the continent of Asia regarded as culturally distinct from Europe and the West; the Orient

2. the countries under Communist rule and formerly under Communist rule, lying mainly in the E hemisphere Compare West

3. 1. the area north of the Ohio and east of the Mississippi

   2. the area north of Maryland and east of the Alleghenies

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adjective

1. 1. of or denoting the eastern part of a specified country, area, etc

   2. ( as part of a name )

      East Sussex

east ² British  

/ iːst /

noun

1. one of the four cardinal points of the compass, 90° clockwise from north and 180° from west

2. the direction along a parallel towards the sunrise, at 90° to north; the direction of the earth's rotation

3. (often capital) any area lying in or towards the east

4. cards (usually capital) the player or position at the table corresponding to east on the compass

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adjective

1. situated in, moving towards, or facing the east

2. (esp of the wind) from the east

adverb

1. in, to, or towards the east

2. archaic (of the wind) from the east

Other Word Forms

• eastness
  noun
• Eastern
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of 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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

east East. East

One option the company has considered is an LNG export facility on the country’s east coast at the Port of Fujairah, which sits on the Gulf of Oman outside the Strait of Hormuz.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026

Footage broadcast by Houthi-run television channel Al Masirah showed rescuers pulling bodies from the rubble of several buildings in al-Shariyah, a town to the east of the capital, Sanaa.

From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2026

Unions staged a march along a traditional route, from the Place de la Republique in central Paris to Place de la Nation in the east of the city.

From Barron's ● Nov. 7, 2026

The company, based in the north east of Scotland, said the issue may affect the 400g cans with batch code L07XC and an April 2029 best before date.

From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026

To the east, above the distant blackness of the High Mountains, the red eye of the Great Auroch glared down at them.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

“We can’t find a zero risk route option any longer through the Middle East. It just isn’t there,” Zee said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

“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

“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,” Hitt added.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 10, 2024

"The Arryns have always been Wardens of the East. The title goes with the domain."

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

MANAMA, Bahrain—Technological advances making ballistic missiles cheaper and more precise have allowed Iran and the Houthis of Yemen to strike foes across the Middle East.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2026

He is chairman of both the KKR Global Institute and KKR Middle East, a fellow at Yale and a co-author of “Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Gaza.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2026

Major League Baseball writers and other content producers have voted to join the Writers Guild of America East.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2026

This is true even in relatively affluent areas with high rates of population growth, like East Renfrewshire - where just 87 new homes were completed last year.

From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026

In East Berlin, Seidel realized, you’d have to dig your way in.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

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