Advertisement

Advertisement

west

1

[ west ]

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.


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.

West

2

[ west ]

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.

West.

3
or west.

abbreviation for

  1. western.

west

1

/ 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. the west
    often capital any area lying in or towards the west HesperianOccidental
  4. cards usually capital the player or position at the table corresponding to west on the compass
“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


adjective

  1. situated in, moving towards, or facing the west
  2. (esp of the wind) from the west
“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

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
“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

ˈWest

2

/ wɛst /

noun

  1. WestBenjamin17381820MUSARTS AND CRAFTS: painter Benjamin. 1738–1820, US painter, in England from 1763
  2. WestKanye1977MUSMUSIC: rap singer Kanye , born 1977, US rap singer and producer; his albums include The College Dropout (2004) and Graduation (2007)
  3. WestMae18921980FUSFILMS AND TV: actress Mae. 1892–1980, US film actress
  4. WestNathanael19031940MUSWRITING: novelist Nathanael, real name Nathan Weinstein. 1903–40, US novelist: author of Miss Lonely-Hearts (1933) and The Day of the Locust (1939)
  5. WestRebecca, Dame18921983FBritishWRITING: journalistWRITING: novelistWRITING: critic 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

West

3

/ 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. 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
“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

adjective

    1. of or denoting the western part of a specified country, area, etc
    2. ( as part of a name )

      the West Coast

“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
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of west1

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
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of west1

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. go west, Informal. to die.

More idioms and phrases containing west

see go west .
Discover More

Example Sentences

There is, however, a separate wing of AQAP designed to inspire their followers to conduct attacks against the West.

The need for an Ebola vaccine in West Africa has never been greater.

With Ebola still raging in West Africa, the race to find a vaccine is heating up.

I meet Otis J. the night he arrives at “The Castle,” a West Harlem halfway house for newly-released convicts.

Kanye West wants people to stand up and dance at his concerts.

The volcanic eruptions of the mountains on the west broke down its barriers, and let its waters flow.

When the women came, he was preparing to go to the west side for his daily visit with Mrs. Pruitt.

The cantonment was split into two sections by an irregular ravine, or nullah, running east and west.

But you are mistaken in thinking the force west consists of the entire Merrill Horse.

Of course, my first row was a long one, quite through the city from west to east, including innumerable turnings and windings.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement