westerly

¹ American  

[wes-ter-lee] / ˈwɛs tər li /

adjective

1. moving, directed, or situated toward the west.

   the westerly end of the field.

2. (especially of a wind) coming from the west.

   a westerly gale.

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adverb

1. toward the west.

   to escape westerly.

2. from the west.

   a sharp wind blowing westerly.

noun

plural

westerlies

1. a wind that blows from the west.

   an occasional westerly that pommeled the island.

2. (used with a plural verb) westerlies, any semipermanent belt of westerly winds, especially those that prevail at latitudes lying between the tropical and polar regions of the earth.

Westerly ² American  

[wes-ter-lee] / ˈwɛs tər li /

noun

1. a town in SW Rhode Island.

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westerly British  

/ ˈwɛstəlɪ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or situated in the west

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adverb

1. towards or in the direction of the west

2. (esp of the wind) from the west

noun

1. a wind blowing from the west

westerly Scientific  

/ wĕs′tər-lē /

1. A wind, especially a prevailing wind, that blows from the west. The prevailing winds in the middle latitudes are westerlies.

2. See illustration at wind

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westerly Cultural  

1. See prevailing westerlies.

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Other Word Forms

• westerliness noun

Etymology

Origin of westerly

1570–80; west + -erly, as in easterly

Example Sentences

Early indications are that milder westerly winds from the Atlantic will return during the third week of the month - delivering more wind and rain.

From BBC • Feb. 7, 2026

During strong westerly winds, especially in years with a wet spring and hot, dry fall, swarms of thousands—sometimes hundreds of thousands—roll freely over the prairie landscape, halting only where housing developments stand in their way.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 17, 2025

"Previous studies suggested that global climate change would strengthen the westerly winds over the Southern Ocean, and with that, the overturning circulation too," says Léa Olivier.

From Science Daily • Oct. 27, 2025

Strengthening westerly winds are already pushing the deep water closer to the surface.

From Science Daily • Oct. 27, 2025

They kept on thinking they saw things, and there was one time: when Polly was perfectly certain she had seen a tail, dark figure gliding quickly away in a westerly direction.

From "The Magician's Nephew" by C. S. Lewis