Jump To:

• 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.

---

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.

---

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

---

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

---

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

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

east East. East

Chadchart Sittipunt, the city's governor, said the east of the city had been hardest hit, AFP reported.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said the east of the city was most impacted and warned more rain was forecast.

From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026

We have capacities on the east coast of Africa.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

Rathlin is a small island off the north east coast of Northern Ireland, between Northern Ireland and Scotland, with a population of about 150 people.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

It could have been beautiful, if Nim hadn’t known that Jack was on the west side of the island, being tossed even farther from home, and Alex was on the east being thrown toward it.

From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr

"We signed with many publishers in the US, big names in the Middle East. Things are moving very rapidly."

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 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

“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.”

From New York Times ● Mar. 5, 2024

Darmanin said in a post on X that heightened surveillance around places, frequented by “our Jewish compatriots” are aimed to prevent them being targeted because of the “ unfolding tragedies in the Middle East. ”

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 3, 2024

"Yet we still must have a Warden of the East. If Robert Arryn will not do, name one of your brothers. Stannis proved himself at the siege of Storm's End, surely."

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

The season premiere opened Saturday with Ramy Youssef reprising his role as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, delivering an update on the nor’easter battering the East Coast before James Austin Johnson’s Trump arrived unexpectedly.

From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026

“As far as we are concerned, that thing died the day they launched it,” said Felix Migoya, chairman of the East Africa Tour Guides and Drivers Association, which represents 1,000 Nairobi guides.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

“Bolt Safari remains part of our product road map, and we are actively planning for its launch before the end of the year,” said Dimmy Kanyankola, the company’s East Africa general manager.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

The Bahrain event was originally scheduled to take place in April but was postponed because of the war in the Middle East.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

The ongoing embarrassment of East Berlin was also a factor.

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