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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

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

Aliko Dangote created Africa's biggest oil refinery in his native Nigeria and the east African version will have a capacity of 700,000 barrels per day -- larger than any in Europe.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

Rice grew up an hour east in Cohasset before attending Dartmouth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Further east, drier and brighter conditions may remain before the rain arrives on Wednesday - it could possibly linger overnight.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 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

It was time to turn east and head back towards the camp -provided he could find some way of putting the dogs off his trail.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

“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

“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

"Jimmy always liked it better down East. He rose up to his position in the East. Were you a friend of my boy's, Mr.--?"

From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Some have already taken the project to court, fearing their land rights will not be respected, while environmental organisations including Greenpeace argues the refinery "threatens to damage one of East Africa's most fragile coastal ecosystems".

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

Ofgem said the increase had been driven largely by higher wholesale gas prices linked to conflict in the Middle East.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Elevated oil prices remain a crucial driver of the spike, with the commodity supported by uncertainty in the Middle East, even as Saudi Arabia pumps more fuel through its partially reopened East-West pipeline.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

Oil prices are on the rise, after easing in recent days as exports from the Middle East pick back up.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

A bunch of off-duty East German police were drinking beer at the bar.

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