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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

Activist Manuel Cuesta Morúa, 63, woke before dawn in his apartment in a Soviet-style block built in the 1970s in east Havana.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

In an area from South Yorkshire to east Wales, Somerset and east across England temperatures will be in excess of 30C.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

In August 1967, my future wife and I found ourselves stumbling over rocks from the walls that weeks earlier had divided east and west Jerusalem.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

A US energy exploration company has sparked an outcry by unloading drilling equipment without authorisation on the east coast of Greenland, the autonomous Danish territory coveted by US President Donald Trump.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

If Britain felt challenged by Germany’s aggressive push to become a world power, Germany felt threatened by France and Russia, its neighbors to the west and east.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

“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

"We now sell mostly to South America and the Middle East. We are not lacking money, we are rich."

From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2025

“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

"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

She noted that she and Cascardo had already made plans to quit California, but explained that they’d originally set their sights on setting up home in Portland, before pivoting to the East Coast.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

Many of the biggest Muslim consumer markets are in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Central Asia, where China has spent years building ports, railways and commercial ties.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

U.S. stocks were mixed as deadlock in the Middle East offset relatively benign consumer-inflation data and an artificial-intelligence earnings bonanza.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

The North East MSP told the crowd that the party's problems were "much deeper than structures", adding that the party "must change our culture".

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

He eventually traveled with his wife and five children as a family singing group, bearing the message of God’s love throughout Europe and the Middle East.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom