Wild West

American  

noun

1. the western frontier region of the U.S., before the establishment of stable government.

---

Wild West British  

noun

1. the western US during its settlement, esp with reference to its frontier lawlessness

---

Etymology

Origin of Wild West

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Wild West

“I don’t expect it to be the Wild West of AI.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

The City of Angels — or Lo Sang — was the deadliest city in not only the Wild West, but the country.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026

Yet without sporting sanctions, it risks creating a Wild West where clubs can pretty much do what they want.

From BBC ● May 13, 2026

It reminds me of the old joke about the guy in the Wild West who, before he was hanged for horse stealing, said “This will be a real lesson to me,” mournfully, from the scaffold.

From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026

To the right, in the smoky distance, the president saw the banners of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West flying over the arena Colonel Cody had built at Sixty-second Street.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson