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

Oakland’s airport is 12 miles east of San Francisco and just over 30 miles from San Francisco International Airport, whose airport code is SFO. —Reuters, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2024

White was 27 years old when hikers found her body near Lake Mead National Recreation Area, around 10 miles east of Las Vegas, on August 27, 1994. —Alaa Elassar, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024

Adjective

October homicides | Public safety news Man dies in shooting on North Dearborn Street Nov. 1: Police received calls about shots being fired just after 7 p.m. in the 3600 block of North Dearborn Street on the city's east side. —Jade Jackson, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Nov. 2024

The most recent was Hurricane Nicole in 2022, which struck Florida's east coast as a Category 1 storm. —Tom Howarth follow, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024

Noun

Food and cosmetics company Givaudan said that the blast occurred at its Sense Colour factory, east of downtown, and that two of its team members were killed. —Doha Madani, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024

North Korea launched seven short-range ballistic missiles into the sea east of the Korean Peninsula in a test on Monday evening ahead of the U.S. presidential election, according to The Associated Press. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 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