eastern

adjective

east·​ern ˈē-stərn 

1

capitalized : of, relating to, or characteristic of a region conventionally designated East

2

capitalized

a

: of, relating to, or being the Christian churches originating in the church of the Eastern Roman Empire

b

: eastern orthodox

3

a

: lying toward the east

b

: coming from the east

an eastern wind

Examples of eastern in a Sentence

They live in the eastern part of the state.

the eastern shore of the river

Recent Examples on the Web

After fighters from the M23 rebel group advanced toward the eastern city of Goma the U.N. said inmates at the Muzenze prison took advantage of the chaos and started to escape on Jan. 27. —Astha Rajvanshi, NBC News, 6 Feb. 2025

Other parts of the world that were also below normal were eastern Russia, the Arabian Peninsula and mainland Southeast Asia. —Sean Duke, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025

Two people were injured when a transport ambulance rolled over and crashed in eastern Pennsylvania’s Schuylkill County Thursday morning, CNN affiliate WFMZ reported. —Mary Gilbert, CNN, 6 Feb. 2025

Ukrainian Orthodox priests and parishes are among the targets in eastern Ukraine. —Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English estern, from Old English ēasterne; akin to Old High German ōstrōni eastern, Old English ēast east

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing eastern

• eastern bluebird
• eastern equine encephalitis
• eastern equine encephalomyelitis
• eastern hemisphere
• eastern rat snake
• eastern time
• eastern white pine

Kids Definition

eastern

adjective

east·​ern ˈē-stərn 

1

capitalized : of, relating to, or like that of the East

Eastern religion

2

: lying toward or coming from the east

easternmost

-ˌmōst 

adjective