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• Westerner
  Westerner

  noun

  a native or inhabitant of the West, especially of the western U.S.
• westerner
  westerner

  noun

  (sometimes capital) a native or inhabitant of the west of any specific region, esp of the western states of the US or of the western hemisphere

Westerner

American  

[wes-ter-ner] / ˈwɛs tər nər /

noun

(sometimes lowercase)

1. a native or inhabitant of the West, especially of the western U.S.

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westerner British  

/ ˈwɛstənə /

noun

1. (sometimes capital) a native or inhabitant of the west of any specific region, esp of the western states of the US or of the western hemisphere

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Other Word Forms

• anti-Westerner
  noun
• pro-Westerner
  noun

Etymology

Origin of Westerner

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40; western + -er ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Westerner westerner

How it turns out will determine whether he is the deal maker he says he is or just another Westerner who thought he could best China only to find he’s been played.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

Mr Vawdrey was the only Westerner on the main Fujitsu board, with responsibility for its operations outside Japan, including the UK which was an important market.

From BBC ● May 18, 2024

Harila rejected claims made by Austrian climber Wilhelm Steindl that more would have been done if a Westerner had been hurt on the mountain.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 13, 2023

The standard explanation is that Gorsuch is a Westerner who spent his childhood in Colorado and his lower court career adjudicating many “Indian law” cases on the U.S.

From Slate ● Jun. 15, 2023

“Because, Been-tone, these heartbroken people are finally listening. It is you, because you are here beside me, because you are a Westerner, because you give them a reason to hope.”

From "Where Things Come Back" by John Corey Whaley

"What they taught was so defined by Tibetan history and culture that I increasingly found the practices and so forth didn’t mesh with my yearnings, my longings, my needs as a westerner."

From Scientific American ● Oct. 29, 2017

When I read this, the very first thing that cross my mind is to congratulate the best insight about China from a westerner, Prof. Martin Jacques.

From New York Times ● Mar. 31, 2017

“As a westerner, Ryan understands the challenges of having the federal government as your largest neighbor and I couldn’t think of a better fit for Secretary of the Interior.”

From Slate ● Dec. 14, 2016

Which is to say that when an easterner performs music written by a westerner, it can have its own special meaning.

From The Guardian ● Nov. 5, 2016

In his wide-brimmed Stetson, with his broad shoulders towering above the average man, his genial smile and jovial manners, he was the typical free, big-hearted westerner of the eastern imagination.

From The Lady Doc by Caroline Lockhart