west

[west]

noun

a cardinal point of the compass, 90° to the left when facing north, corresponding to the point where the sun is seen to set. Abbreviation: W

the direction in which this point lies.

(usually initial capital letter) a region or territory situated in this direction, especially the western part of the U.S., as distinguished from the East: a vacation trip through the West.

(initial capital letter) the western part of the world, as distinguished from the East or Orient; the Occident.

(initial capital letter) the non-Communist countries of Western Europe and the Americas.

adjective

directed or proceeding toward the west.

coming from the west: a west wind.

lying toward or situated in the west.

Ecclesiastical. designating, lying toward, or in that part of a church opposite to and farthest from the altar.

adverb

to, toward, or in the west: The car headed west.

from the west: The wind blew west.

Idioms

go west, Informal. to die.

Origin of west

before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch, German west, Old Norse vestr; compare French ouest, Old French < Old English

West

[west]

noun

Benjamin,1738–1820, U.S. painter, in England after 1763.

Jerome AlanJerry, born 1938, U.S. basketball player, coach, and executive.

Mae,1892?–1980, U.S. actress.

NathanaelNathan Wallenstein Weinstein, 1902?–40, U.S. novelist.

Paul,born 1930, U.S. poet, essayist, and novelist, born in England.

Dame RebeccaCicily Isabel Fairfield Andrews, 1892–1983, English novelist, journalist, and critic, born in Ireland.

Related formsan·ti-West, adjectivepro-West, adjective

West.

or west.

western.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for west

Contemporary Examples of west

There is, however, a separate wing of AQAP designed to inspire their followers to conduct attacks against the West.
U.S. Spies See Al Qaeda Fingerprints on Paris Massacre
Shane Harris, Nancy A. Youssef
January 8, 2015
With Ebola still raging in West Africa, the race to find a vaccine is heating up.
The Race for the Ebola Vaccine
Abby Haglage
January 7, 2015
The need for an Ebola vaccine in West Africa has never been greater.
The Race for the Ebola Vaccine
Abby Haglage
January 7, 2015
I meet Otis J. the night he arrives at “The Castle,” a West Harlem halfway house for newly-released convicts.
His First Day Out Of Jail After 40 Years: Adjusting To Life Outside
Justin Rohrlich
January 3, 2015
A gifted marketer, he sent samples of the hat to merchandisers all over the West, asking for a minimum order of a dozen.
My Love Letter to the Stetson
Mark McKinnon
December 24, 2014

Historical Examples of west

The West and the East were met in conflict,—the old and the new, the stale and the fresh.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
If the West stopped producin' men fur you, you'd be as bad off as if it stopped producin' food.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
The ball of red fire in the west was half below the rim of the distant peak.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
He said, 'We make precedents in the West when we can't find one to suit us.'
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
That's where our big West is, over that way—isn't it fresh and green and beautiful?
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson

British Dictionary definitions for west

west

noun

one of the four cardinal points of the compass, 270° clockwise from north and 180° from east

the direction along a parallel towards the sunset, at 270° clockwise from north

the west (often capital) any area lying in or towards the westRelated adjectives: Hesperian, Occidental

cards (usually capital) the player or position at the table corresponding to west on the compass

adjective

situated in, moving towards, or facing the west

(esp of the wind) from the west

adverb

in, to, or towards the west

archaic (of the wind) from the west

go west informal

to be lost or destroyed irrevocably
to die

Symbol: W

Word Origin for west

Old English; related to Old Norse vestr, Sanskrit avástāt, Latin vesper evening, Greek hésperos

West

noun the West

the western part of the world contrasted historically and culturally with the East or Orient; the Occident

(formerly) the non-Communist countries of Europe and America contrasted with the Communist states of the EastCompare East (def. 2)

(in the US)

that part of the US lying approximately to the west of the Mississippi
(during the Colonial period) the region outside the 13 colonies, lying mainly to the west of the Alleghenies

(in the ancient and medieval world) the Western Roman Empire and, later, the Holy Roman Empire

adjective

of or denoting the western part of a specified country, area, etc
(as part of a name)the West Coast

West

noun

Benjamin. 1738–1820, US painter, in England from 1763

Kanye, born 1977, US rap singer and producer; his albums include The College Dropout (2004) and Graduation (2007)

Mae. 1892–1980, US film actress

Nathanael, real name Nathan Weinstein. 1903–40, US novelist: author of Miss Lonely-Hearts (1933) and The Day of the Locust (1939)

Dame Rebecca, real name Cicily Isabel Andrews (née Fairfield). 1892–1983, British journalist, novelist, and critic

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for west

Old English west "in or toward the west," from Proto-Germanic *wes-t- (cf. Old Norse vestr, Old Frisian, Middle Dutch, Dutch west, Old High German -west, only in compounds, German west), from PIE *wes- (source of Greek hesperos, Latin vesper "evening, west"), perhaps an enlarged form of root *we- "to go down" (cf. Sanskrit avah "downward"), and thus literally "direction in which the sun sets." Cf. also High German dialectal abend "west," literally "evening."

French ouest, Spanish oeste are from English. West used in geopolitical sense from World War I (Britain, France, Italy, as opposed to Germany and Austria-Hungary); as contrast to Communist Russia (later to the Soviet bloc) it is first recorded in 1918. West Indies is recorded from 1550s.

Idioms and Phrases with west

west

see go west.