Western Europe

Cultural  

1. Those nations in Europe that were not part of the Eastern Bloc, or more specifically, those nations allied with the United States in NATO (except Turkey). Neutral or nonaligned nations such as Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, and Spain, though western European in terms of geography, are not usually meant when the term “Western Europe” is used as the opposite for terms such as “Eastern Europe,” “the Eastern Bloc,” or “communist Europe.”

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Example Sentences

Held February 6-22, the 2026 Winter Games take place in Italy for the third time, and the first time in western Europe since the Turin Games in 2006.

From Barron's

"The fear I've lived with all my life - embedded in my DNA - has reawakened with renewed vigour," said one escapee living in Western Europe, who asked to hide her name and precise location.

From BBC

In addition to 700,000 people of African descent and tens of thousands of native Indians, nearly all the peoples of Western Europe were present in the country.

From The Wall Street Journal

"That November 20 did not only mark the end of Western Europe's last dictatorship, but also the beginning of a journey that would lead us to regain freedom and prosperity and to win back lost democracy," Sanchez wrote on news website elDiario.es.

From Barron's

Under the UN rules, the right to host the COP in 2026 falls to a group of countries made up of Western Europe, Australia and others.

From BBC