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

Less than 24 hours later, fishermen found her body in a river near Sumner, Washington, about 12 miles east of Tacoma. —Maria Aguilar Prieto, CNN, 8 Dec. 2024

The ski resort on the White Mountains, Sunrise Park Resort, is located on the Fort Apache Reservation near Greer, about 220 miles east of central Phoenix, and operated by the White Mountain Apache Tribe. —Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 6 Dec. 2024

Adjective

If a wildfire knocks out power lines linking Los Angeles with New Mexico, the city can look east. —Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2024

Less than two hours prior, a man was fatally shot at an apartment complex three miles east. —Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 29 Nov. 2024

Noun

An evacuation warning along Pacific Coast Highway extended as far east as the Los Angeles city limits, on the border of the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, and as far west as Zuma Beach. —Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2024

The Incident Deputies arrived at a home in Covina, east of Los Angeles, around noon on Sunday and discovered the injured child in the backyard, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024

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