westerly
adjective
moving, directed, or situated toward the west.
westerly
1 American
[wes-ter-lee]
/ ˈwɛs tər li /
adjective
-
moving, directed, or situated toward the west.
the westerly end of the field.
-
(especially of a wind) coming from the west.
a westerly gale.
adverb
-
toward the west.
to escape westerly.
-
from the west.
a sharp wind blowing westerly.
noun
-
westerlies
plural
-
a wind that blows from the west.
an occasional westerly that pommeled the island.
-
(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
westerly
British
/ ˈwɛstəlɪ /
adjective
adverb
-
towards or in the direction of the west
-
(esp of the wind) from the west
noun
westerly
Scientific
/ wĕs′tər-lē /
-
A wind, especially a prevailing wind, that blows from the west. The prevailing winds in the middle latitudes are westerlies.
-
See illustration at wind
westerly
Cultural
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of westerly
1570–80; west + -erly, as in easterly
Vocabulary lists containing westerly
Weather and Climate - Middle School
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Earth Science - Middle School
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Earth Science - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The fire in France's southwest Gironde region started with northerly winds, then westerly, then southerly, then easterly, then back again to the south, then the west...
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
A westerly wind will bring an end to heatwave conditions, while southerly winds could signal a return to intense heat.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
The wind will be turning from a southerly to more of a westerly bringing about the change to cooler conditions.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
As westerly winds and Atlantic air takes over, temperatures will still be above, but much closer to the seasonal average on Sunday, peaking in the high teens to the mid twenties.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
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
Westerly winds and a weak cold front will eventually sweep fresher air in from the Atlantic by Sunday and next week is set to feel very different for most.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
The residence—which is located in the exclusive enclave of Watch Hill in Westerly and is known locally as “Holiday House”—currently sprawls across 11,000 square feet and features seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 8, 2025
Researchers studying peatlands found that abrupt movements in the Southern Westerly Winds 15,000 years ago set off a large expansion of these wetland systems.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 19, 2025
The woman was discovered in front of the home and arrested on Monday, said Westerly Police Chief Paul Gingerella.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 7, 2023
He had unsnapped her jesses when he saw Leon Longbridge and Peter Westerly approaching the hideout Jon released another rat in Frightful’s mews.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
Current UK forecasts are showing that winds will start to switch to less hot westerlies from Saturday onwards.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2025
Other research has suggested that these westerlies will strengthen over the next century due to climate change.
From Science Daily ● May 13, 2024
“As we had made it clear before, the airship, used for meteorological research, unintentionally drifted into U.S. because of the westerlies and its limited self-steering capability,” Mr. Liu said.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 30, 2023
The airship, which was used for meteorological research, unintentionally entered U.S. airspace because of the westerlies and its limited self-steering capability.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 17, 2023
Under such conditions, especially if the conception of the great subequatorial continent of Gondwana land is correct, the trade winds and the westerlies must have been stronger and steadier than now.
From Climatic Changes Their Nature and Causes by Ellsworth Huntington
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.
