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

Pecos is about 75 miles southwest of Odessa and 200 miles east of El Paso, with a population of 13,000. —Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 20 Dec. 2024

What To Know The team called RFK Stadium home from 1961 to 1996 before relocating to Maryland, playing just two miles east of the capital during some of its most successful years. —Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 19 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

Attention had shifted east, to punkier outlets like CBGB, the Mudd Club, and others like them. —David Browne, Rolling Stone, 22 Dec. 2024

Teeter got back into his cruiser and drove east on New Britain Avenue. —Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 19 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