east
noun
a cardinal point of the compass, 90° to the right of north. E
east
1 American
[eest]
/ ist /
noun
-
a cardinal point of the compass, 90° to the right of north. E
-
the direction in which this point lies.
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(usually initial capital letter) a quarter or territory situated in this direction.
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the East,
-
the parts of Asia collectively lying east of Europe and including Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia, India, China, etc.
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East Asia.
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(formerly) the Soviet Union and its allies.
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the part of the U.S. east of the Mississippi River.
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the part of the U.S. east of the Allegheny Mountains.
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New England.
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Ancient and Medieval History. the Eastern Roman Empire.
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adjective
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directed or proceeding toward the east.
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coming from the east.
an east wind.
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lying toward or situated in the east.
the east side.
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Ecclesiastical. being at the end of the church where the high altar is.
an east window.
adverb
East.
2
American
Or
east.
abbreviation
East
1
British
/ iːst /
noun
-
the continent of Asia regarded as culturally distinct from Europe and the West; the Orient
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the countries under Communist rule and formerly under Communist rule, lying mainly in the E hemisphere Compare West
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the area north of the Ohio and east of the Mississippi
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the area north of Maryland and east of the Alleghenies
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adjective
east
2
British
/ iːst /
noun
-
one of the four cardinal points of the compass, 90° clockwise from north and 180° from west
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the direction along a parallel towards the sunrise, at 90° to north; the direction of the earth's rotation
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(often capital) any area lying in or towards the east
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cards (usually capital) the player or position at the table corresponding to east on the compass
adjective
-
situated in, moving towards, or facing the east
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(esp of the wind) from the east
adverb
-
in, to, or towards the east
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archaic (of the wind) from the east
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of east
First recorded before 900; Middle English est, Old English ēast; cognate with German ost, Old Norse austr; akin to Latin aurōra, Greek aúōs (Aeolic dialect variant of ēṓs, héōs ) “dawn”; see Easter
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The development pocket landed on California’s distressed insurance market list because it falls within Placer County, which stretches 65 miles east into the severe fire zones of the rugged Sierra Nevada.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
Runners gathered in South Africa to pay tribute to Elizabeth Moselakgomo after her body was found east of Johannesburg.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
After World War II, Germany lost large chunks of territory that once stretched as far east as Kaliningrad, now part of Russia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
Back in 2019, following attacks on oil-processing facilities in its east, the kingdom surprised the world and restored its production within days.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
From the hooting of a young owl, they knew that the bear was far away; and Renn judged that they’d come far enough east to have escaped the Ravens.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
“The reflation trade has made a comeback in recent weeks due to the war in the Middle East. Going forward, the risk is that a higher-for-longer oil regime continues to fuel reflation fears.”
From MarketWatch ● May 2, 2026
“Everything that’s happening in the Middle East. I’m seeing prices rise at the supermarket. And of course we have this constant thread of AI data-centers being built.”
From Barron's ● Apr. 15, 2026
In September, he said: "We will quickly restore stability in the Middle East. And we will return the world to peace."
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2025
“He shares the goal for an end to the violence and a just, lasting peace in the Middle East. He’s working tirelessly to that end.”
From New York Times ● Mar. 5, 2024
I should have stopped right there, but my mouth blabbered on: “Against Hillside East. Think you can make it?”
From "Crash" by Jerry Spinelli
Noah's father Rhys Woods, from nearby East Bergholt, Suffolk, praised those who joined the search.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Economic forecasts for the coming months continue to be grim as fighting in the Middle East intensifies.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
The International Energy Agency recently pushed its timeline for normalized Middle East energy flows into 2027 from late 2026 previously.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
Russia’s news agencies labeled Sergei Utek, who lives in a village in Russia’s Far East Chukotka province, “a real hero” after he dropped his fishing plans to come to the local voting office.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
As part of what the press dubbed the “Bodies for Butter” program, East German dictator Walter Ulbricht accepted bribes of food from Western governments in exchange for the release of political prisoners.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
