eastern
Americanadjective
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lying toward or situated in the east.
the eastern half of the island.
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directed or proceeding toward the east.
an eastern route.
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coming from the east.
an eastern wind.
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(often initial capital letter) of or relating to the East in the U.S..
an eastern congressman.
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(initial capital letter) of or relating to the Eastern Church or to any of the churches comprising it.
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(usually initial capital letter) of, relating to, or characteristic of the East; Oriental.
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(usually initial capital letter) (formerly) of or relating to the Soviet Union and its allies.
adjective
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situated in or towards the east
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facing or moving towards the east
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of eastern
before 1000; Middle English esterne, Old English ēasterne; akin to Old Norse austroenn, Old High German ōstrōni. See east , -ern
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.
The climate modeling also points to more atmospheric rivers along the eastern coast of South America and around Antarctica.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
GSK separately announced Tuesday that it plans to invest £400 million on a new major R&D centre in university city Cambridge, eastern England.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
In the eastern state of Bihar, a police official was suspended for using an assault rifle to disperse student protesters in Siwan district on Saturday.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
The firm, which was founded in 2016 by Chairman Zhu Yiming, is headquartered in Hefei, Anhui Province in eastern China.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
As the nineteenth century drew to a close, he saw a massive new wave of men flooding into Chicago, fleeing oppression in eastern Europe—from Poland, Czechoslovakia, Lithuania.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
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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.