east

1 of 3

adverb

ˈēst 

: to, toward, or in the east

east

2 of 3

adjective

1

: situated toward or at the east

an east window

2

: coming from the east

an east wind

east

3 of 3

noun

1

a

: the general direction of sunrise : the direction toward the right of one facing north

b

: the compass point directly opposite to west

2

capitalized

a

: regions lying to the east of a specified or implied point of orientation

b

: regions having a culture derived from ancient non-European especially Asian areas

3

: the altar end of a church

4

often capitalized

a

: the one of four positions at 90-degree intervals that lies to the east or at the right of a diagram

b

: a person (such as a bridge player) occupying this position in the course of a specified activity

Examples of east in a Sentence

Adjective

the east side of town

Noun

The city is framed by mountain ranges to the east and west.

The wind blew from the east.

This summer has been unusually hot in the East.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Chang pointed to the $3.4-billion Freeport Container port project in the Bahamas, just 87 miles east of Palm Beach, Florida. —Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 11 Feb. 2025

The collision occurred around 1:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon near Wenatchee, about 150 miles east of Seattle, when a driver attempted to pass a car on a two-lane road and slammed into a charter bus going in the opposite direction. —David Matthews, New York Daily News, 10 Feb. 2025

Adjective

Meteorologists with the National Weather Service (NWS) have issued a slew of winter weather warnings from east Kentucky through southern New Jersey as a winter storm threatens heavy snow and hazardous travel. —Justin Gest, Newsweek, 10 Feb. 2025

The regime did, however, launch missiles off its east coast in the days before the inauguration. —Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025

Noun

Drivers heading east turn left from the makeshift lane on the far right to get their students to class. —Andy Humbles, The Tennessean, 3 Feb. 2025

Most of the flames were on Graveyard Mountain, east of Highway 221 and south of American Thread Road, along cliffs above the North Fork of the Catawba River, officials said. —Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 1 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

Middle English est, from Old English ēast; akin to Old High German ōstar to the east, Latin aurora dawn, Greek ēōs, heōs

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing east

• back east
• down east
• east by north
• east by south
• east-northeast
• east-southeast
• north by east
• northeast by east
• south by east
• southeast by east
• the east

Kids Definition

east

1 of 3 adverb

ˈēst 

: to or toward the east

east

2 of 3 adjective

1

: located toward or at the east

the east door of the school

2

: coming from the east

an east wind

east

3 of 3 noun

1

a

: the general direction of sunrise

b

: the compass point directly opposite to west

2

capitalized : regions or countries east of a specific place