westerly

1 of 2

adjective or adverb

west·​er·​ly ˈwe-stər-lē 

1

: situated toward or belonging to the west

the westerly end of the farm

2

: coming from the west

a westerly breeze

westerly

2 of 2

noun

plural westerlies

: a wind from the west

Examples of westerly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective or adverb

That’s because of a weather system in Canada and the U.S. East Coast that is pushing the westerly winds that are common in mid-latitudes down to where Milton is, where autumn wind from the west is less common. —Shawn Tully, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2024

America’s flyers took off from Seattle on April 6, taking a westerly route, and were scheduled to arrive in Chicago on Sept. 13 amid a triumphant home leg of their journey. —Andrew Johnston, Chicago Tribune, 26 Sep. 2024

Noun

First, through a combination of weaker trade winds and westerlies over the tropical Atlantic, La Niña tends to create a more placid atmosphere. —Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 20 May 2024

Their modest city saw an influx of evacuees from nearby rural and coastal regions soon after hot westerlies sent walls of flame into a string of towns and villages around New Year's Eve. —NBC News, 11 Jan. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Adjective or adverb

obsolete wester western

First Known Use

Adjective Or Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1845, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

westerly

1 of 2 adverb or adjective

west·​er·​ly ˈwes-tər-lē 

1

: toward the west

the ship sailed westerly

a westerly direction

2

: from the west

the wind blew westerly

a westerly breeze

westerly

2 of 2 noun

plural westerlies

: a wind blowing from the west

Geographical Definition

Westerly

geographical name

Wes·​ter·​ly ˈwe-stər-lē 

town in southwestern Rhode Island on the border with Connecticut population 17,936