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west

[west]
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noun
  1. 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
  2. the direction in which this point lies.
  3. (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.
  4. (initial capital letter) the western part of the world, as distinguished from the East or Orient; the Occident.
  5. (initial capital letter) the non-Communist countries of Western Europe and the Americas.
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adjective
  1. directed or proceeding toward the west.
  2. coming from the west: a west wind.
  3. lying toward or situated in the west.
  4. Ecclesiastical. designating, lying toward, or in that part of a church opposite to and farthest from the altar.
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adverb
  1. to, toward, or in the west: The car headed west.
  2. from the west: The wind blew west.
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Idioms
  1. go west, Informal. to die.
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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
  1. Benjamin,1738–1820, U.S. painter, in England after 1763.
  2. Jerome AlanJerry, born 1938, U.S. basketball player, coach, and executive.
  3. Mae,1892?–1980, U.S. actress.
  4. NathanaelNathan Wallenstein Weinstein, 1902?–40, U.S. novelist.
  5. Paul,born 1930, U.S. poet, essayist, and novelist, born in England.
  6. Dame RebeccaCicily Isabel Fairfield Andrews, 1892–1983, English novelist, journalist, and critic, born in Ireland.
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Related formsan·ti-West, adjectivepro-West, adjective

West.

or west.

  1. western.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for west

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • 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
  1. one of the four cardinal points of the compass, 270° clockwise from north and 180° from east
  2. the direction along a parallel towards the sunset, at 270° clockwise from north
  3. the west (often capital) any area lying in or towards the westRelated adjectives: Hesperian, Occidental
  4. cards (usually capital) the player or position at the table corresponding to west on the compass
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adjective
  1. situated in, moving towards, or facing the west
  2. (esp of the wind) from the west
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adverb
  1. in, to, or towards the west
  2. archaic (of the wind) from the west
  3. go west informal
    1. to be lost or destroyed irrevocably
    2. to die
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Symbol: W

Word Origin

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

West1

noun the West
  1. the western part of the world contrasted historically and culturally with the East or Orient; the Occident
  2. (formerly) the non-Communist countries of Europe and America contrasted with the Communist states of the EastCompare East (def. 2)
  3. (in the US)
    1. that part of the US lying approximately to the west of the Mississippi
    2. (during the Colonial period) the region outside the 13 colonies, lying mainly to the west of the Alleghenies
  4. (in the ancient and medieval world) the Western Roman Empire and, later, the Holy Roman Empire
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adjective
    1. of or denoting the western part of a specified country, area, etc
    2. (as part of a name)the West Coast
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West2

noun
  1. Benjamin. 1738–1820, US painter, in England from 1763
  2. Kanye, born 1977, US rap singer and producer; his albums include The College Dropout (2004) and Graduation (2007)
  3. Mae. 1892–1980, US film actress
  4. Nathanael, real name Nathan Weinstein. 1903–40, US novelist: author of Miss Lonely-Hearts (1933) and The Day of the Locust (1939)
  5. Dame Rebecca, real name Cicily Isabel Andrews (née Fairfield). 1892–1983, British journalist, novelist, and critic
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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.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with west

west

see go west.

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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.