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• 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. W
• West
  West

  noun

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

  abbreviation

  western.

west

¹ American  

[west] / wɛst /

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. 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. the West,

   1. the western part of the world, as distinguished from the East or Orient; the Occident.

   2. 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.

adverb

1. to, toward, or in the west.

   The car headed west.

2. from the west.

   The wind blew west.

idioms

1. go west, to die.

West ² American  

[west] / wɛst /

noun

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

2. Jerome Alan Jerry, born 1938, U.S. basketball player, coach, and executive.

3. Mae, 1893–1980, U.S. actress.

4. Nathanael Nathan Wallenstein Weinstein, 1902?–40, U.S. novelist.

5. Paul, 1930–2015, U.S. poet, essayist, and novelist, born in England.

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

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West. ³ American  

Or west.

abbreviation

1. western.

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west ¹ British  

/ wɛst /

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. (often capital) any area lying in or towards the west

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

adverb

1. in, to, or towards the west

2. archaic (of the wind) from the west

3. informal

   1. to be lost or destroyed irrevocably

   2. to die

West ² British  

/ wɛst /

noun

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 East Compare East

3. 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. 1. of or denoting the western part of a specified country, area, etc

   2. ( as part of a name )

      the West Coast

west ³ British  

/ wɛst /

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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west More Idioms  

1. see go west.

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Etymology

Origin of west

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

west West West.

The rocket is aiming to make six orbits of Earth for the first time during a 10-hour flight, before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean to the west of Chile.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

Hurricane Odalys, with 90 mph winds, is nearly 900 miles west of the southern tip of Baja California and is forecasted to turn away from land and weaken.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

On the visionary west wall, a gray-hatted Ludovico, in stiff profile, encounters his young son Francesco, made a cardinal at age 17.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

The figures include a dinghy carrying 51 people which departed from Normandy, much further west than small boats typically set off, on Monday morning and spent more than 33 hours at sea.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

Churchill was just a little way off to the west.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

At the time, Wahlberg explained that his sons were among the few things that could tempt him back to the West Coast, noting that one of them had repeatedly encouraged him to move closer.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026

Several West African countries are also seeking to process more of their gold at home.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

U.S. natural-gas futures returned some of the previous session’s gains that were due to the outage on a pipeline in West Virginia operated by a unit of TC Energy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

The Yankees lost 13 fewer games than the AL West champion Houston Astros and 10 fewer games than the AL Central champion Guardians, both seeded ahead of them.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

One holds up a cardboard sign that says “Not Your Wild West Show!”

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

“And maybe I’ll meet a Kardashian or a West. Maybe this will be what skyrockets my career and my life.”

From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2024

Perhaps most importantly, Boutt points out, "What we see in the Dry Andes is representative of hydrology in all extremely arid regions -- including the U.S. West. It's not limited to lithium mining, either."

From Science Daily ● Apr. 3, 2024

In August 2021, SEC chair Gary Gensler said investors weren’t adequately protected in crypto markets, calling them more like the “ Wild West. ”

From Washington Times ● Jun. 17, 2023

"I almost see Yeezy as a brand separately from Kanye West. Obviously, he controls much of it, but for some reason I see Yeezy as separate. So I will continue with it."

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2022

“Those were the girls who lived in a garden at the edge of the West. With the golden apple tree and a dragon guarding it.”

From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan