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

Every tribe that felt connected to the Haight had shown up, from Big Sur and Carmel in the south, to the gold country east of San Francisco, to Sonoma and much farther north. —Dennis McNally, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2025

In addition to Ivo, the NHC also is monitoring Tropical Storm Henriette, about 1,280 miles east of Hawaii. —Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Aug. 2025

Adjective

Cafe Hollander’s locations in Brookfield, Mequon, Milwaukee’s east side and Madison remain open, as well as the Lowlands Group’s sister restaurant, Buckatabon, located directly across the street from Hollander in the Tosa Village. —Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 12 Aug. 2025

Central Daylight Time, the NWS in Chicago issued a flash flood warning for east central Cook County and southeastern DuPage County, covering major portions of Chicago and several surrounding neighborhoods and suburban communities. —Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 July 2025

Noun

The police and fire department both arrived on the scene near Lime Kiln Park, south of Main Street and east of Appleton Avenue. —Cathy Kozlowicz, jsonline.com, 13 Aug. 2025

Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022, striking from the north, east and south. —Carlie Procell, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2025

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

Rhymes for east

• beast
• ceased
• creased
• feast
• fleeced
• geest
• greased
• leased
• least
• pieced
• priest
• yeast

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