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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Earth Science - Middle School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Earth Science - High School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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
He said: "The wind has picked up considerably and turned to a more westerly direction driving the fire eastwards."
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
With high pressure to the south of the UK, it's likely to stay dry on Monday with temperatures peaking in the low to mid-twenties Celsius and a gentle westerly breeze.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
Instead of the usual easterly winds that blow from east to west, westerly winds develop.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 15, 2026
During the afternoon of the following day, still going westerly and while coming off a rise, I saw ahead what looked to be a village situated in a dell.
From "Crispin: The Cross of Lead" by Avi
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
Westerly winds from the Pacific Ocean drop their moisture when they push up over the Rocky Mountains, becoming high, dry and cool as they move farther east.
From Scientific American ● May 11, 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 long-range models are forecasting a strong negative NAO, which usually helps push the westerlies and storm tracks along the East Coast farther south than normal,” said Wes Junker, Capital Weather Gang’s winter weather expert.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 29, 2022
Between the region which has rain throughout the year from the stormy westerlies, and the districts which are permanently arid under the trades, there is an indefinite belt over which rains fall in winter.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 5 "Clervaux" to "Cockade" by Various
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.
