western

[ wes-tern ]

/ ˈwɛs tərn /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: western / westerns on Thesaurus.com

adjective

lying toward or situated in the west: our company's western office.

directed or proceeding toward the west: a western migration.

coming or originating from the west, as a wind.

(often initial capital letter) of, pertaining to, living in, or characteristic of the West, especially the western U.S.: a Western ranch.

(usually initial capital letter) Occidental: to adopt Western dress.

(usually initial capital letter) of or relating to the non-Communist countries of Europe and the Americas: Western trade agreements.

(initial capital letter) of or relating to the Western Church.

noun

(often initial capital letter) a story, movie, or radio or television play about the U.S. West of the 19th century.

western sandwich.

a person or thing from a western region or country.

QUIZ

GOOSES. GEESES. I WANT THIS QUIZ ON PLURAL NOUNS!

Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.

Question 1 of 9

Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of western

before 1050; 1905–10 for def. 8; Middle English, Old English westerne, equivalent to westwest + -erne-ern

OTHER WORDS FROM western

anti-Western, adjectivenon·west·ern, adjective, nounpro-Western, adjectiveun·west·ern, adjective

Words nearby western

Westergren method, westering, Westerlies, westerly, Westermarck, western, western alienation, Western Australia, Western blot, Western blot analysis, Western blot test

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use western in a sentence

Last year, a study found an average of 132 small pieces of plastic literally rained down onto each square meter of public lands in the western United States every year.
Microplastics are everywhere. Here’s what that means for our health.|Ula Chrobak|February 11, 2021|Popular-Science
The snow has let up quite a bit in our far western suburbs, and will continue to do so from west to east during the next hour or so, possibly mixing with or changing to rain as it does.
Snow ends, leading to an afternoon of melting; more storm chances to come this week|Brian Jackson, Dan Stillman, Andrew Freedman|February 7, 2021|Washington Post
A trip to Provence and the Riviera might start at the western end of that stretch, in the Roman city of Arles, where Van Gogh first lived after leaving Paris.
An art lover’s Impressionist video trip to Provence and the Riviera|Nancy Nathan|February 5, 2021|Washington Post
Bill postponed the western swing album and released “Acoustic,” a collection of 20 acoustic songs by Eva.
Twenty-five years after her death, Eva Cassidy’s music is as timeless as ever|John Kelly|January 26, 2021|Washington Post

“Every day we have new rules, new guidelines, and it’s a struggle,” said Shelly Dunham, CEO of Okeene Municipal Hospital in western Oklahoma.
How the CARES Act Forgot America’s Most Vulnerable Hospitals|by Brianna Bailey, The Frontier|January 26, 2021|ProPublica
Their friendship began when Krauss, who was chairman of the physics department at Case Western in Cleveland, sought out Epstein.
Sleazy Billionaire’s Double Life Featured Beach Parties With Stephen Hawking|M.L. Nestel|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In their past calls for attacks on Western targets, AQAP has focused on putting bombs on planes, not revenge attacks.
U.S. Spies See Al Qaeda Fingerprints on Paris Massacre|Shane Harris, Nancy A. Youssef|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
This time it would be the biggest mistake for the Western press to repeat that—absolutely the biggest mistake.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Our Duty Is to Keep Charlie Hebdo Alive|Ayaan Hirsi Ali|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“You are applying Western metrics to someone who is not using that metric against you,” referring to ISIS, Bolger said.
Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Many People It’s Killed in the ISIS War|Nancy A. Youssef|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Although he brings a Western spin to things, he seems equally inspired by the local sense of style.
The Photographer Who Gave Up Manhattan for Marrakech|Liza Foreman|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But this alliance is rotten, and cannot endure; the Western men are no partizans of slavery.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
The scene and field of that learning hitherto has been, in our Western communities, the University.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
I started for it once, but never even reached the western boundaries of New York.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
We were once more at the western door; Madame crossed herself again; we went out.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
In our western communities the dangers to the intellectual nexus lie rather on the other side.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells

British Dictionary definitions for western (1 of 2)

western

/ (ˈwɛstən) /

adjective

situated in or towards or facing the west

going or directed to or towards the west

(of a wind, etc) coming or originating from the west

native to, inhabiting, or growing in the west

music See country and western

British Dictionary definitions for western (2 of 2)

Western

/ (ˈwɛstən) /

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of the West as opposed to the Orient

(formerly) of, relating to, or characteristic of the Americas and the parts of Europe not under Communist rule

of, relating to, or characteristic of the western states of the US

noun

a film, book, etc, concerned with life in the western states of the US, esp during the era of exploration and early development

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

western

Origin of western

OTHER WORDS FROM western

Words nearby western

Words related to western

How to use western in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for western (1 of 2)

British Dictionary definitions for western (2 of 2)