1
: situated toward or at the east
an east window
2
: coming from the east
an east wind
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
Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 7 Apr. 2024
On March 30, a company conducting mid-Atlantic whale surveys for the Navy notified NOAA of the dead whale, floating around 50 miles east of Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia, NOAA said.
—Rebekah Riess, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
The temblor was reported about 5 miles east of Lebanon, New Jersey, at about 10:20 a.m. Friday, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
—USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
The Lookingglass Hatchery, located about 300 miles east of Portland, is one of the 33 hatcheries in Oregon which harvests stocks of salmon to be used for food or sport fishing.
—Noah Osborne, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024
Bonds Ranch Road slices east from Eagle Mountain Lake across roughly 10 miles of farmland and subdivisions.
—Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2024
Wicker Road remains closed between just west of Lake Road and just east of State Road 37, according to Kyle Bloyd with Indy's DPW.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 2 Apr. 2024
From here, Mike and I branch east in the direction of Duba Plains, a private island concession spanning 81,500 acres, where we are greeted by two bull elephants yanking up papyrus and folding it into their pink mouths.
—Alex Postman, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Apr. 2024
Neptune Township is along the Atlantic Ocean next to Asbury Park and about 44 miles east of Trenton, the state's capital.
—Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 27 Mar. 2024
Sarah Nelson, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024
Meets at the overlook deck just off the far east side of the parking lot.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Apr. 2024
The former home of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee chancellor is for sale on Milwaukee's east side.
—Kelly Meyerhofer, Journal Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2024
Two Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers in full police uniform were working off-duty employment at an east side bar in Indianapolis when a disturbance in the parking lot occurred at around 1:30 a.m.
—USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2024
Located on Manhattan’s east side, the animal hospital and its more than 130 veterinarians logged nearly 60,000 patient visits in 2023, as one of a handful of centers across the country equipped to manage the most complicated medical cases, which clinics with fewer resources cannot handle.
—Thalia Beaty, Quartz, 17 Mar. 2024
Sergio Florian was out for an evening run up a mountain on Oahu’s east side when something caught his eye: a white and gray dog curled up near the edge of a 1,000-foot cliff.
—Cathy Free, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
The clinician response team operates on a 24/7 schedule downtown and in east Indianapolis.
—Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 28 Feb. 2024
First responders are on the scene of a house explosion on Detroit's east side that left three children injured.
—Detroit Free Press, 27 Feb. 2024
Lily Moayeri, Variety, 11 Apr. 2024
The Northwest Territory was made up of all the land west of Pennsylvania, north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River, up to the border with Canada — real estate that now includes Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and part of Minnesota.
—Chris Foran, Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2024
The areas with the highest probability for rain showers and possibly an isolated thunderstorm are located along and east of the U.S. 65 highway and south of the U.S. 50 highway.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024
Some areas may see up to 4 inches of rain south of I-20 and east of I-35.
—David Montesino, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2024
The light glowing behind it, implying dawn or dusk, is impossible since the real sign faces south, not east or west, where it could be backed by the rising or setting sun.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2024
Boundaries: Mansion Flats’ boundaries go north to the Union Pacific Railroad tracks, west to 12th Street, south to J Street and east to 16th Street.
—Hanh Truong, Sacramento Bee, 6 Apr. 2024
The Charlotte firm is planning to redevelop 84 acres on the north and south side of Sardis Lane and east of Providence Road.
—Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 4 Apr. 2024
But on Réunion—the most far-flung of the lot, a small island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar—almost all the rum made there is from molasses, not cane juice.
—Tony Sachs, Robb Report, 29 Mar. 2024
Adverb
The harshest of those twisters struck Xenia, Ohio, a small city of 25,000 about 15 miles east of Dayton.
—Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 7 Apr. 2024
On March 30, a company conducting mid-Atlantic whale surveys for the Navy notified NOAA of the dead whale, floating around 50 miles east of Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia, NOAA said.
—Rebekah Riess, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
The temblor was reported about 5 miles east of Lebanon, New Jersey, at about 10:20 a.m. Friday, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
—USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
The Lookingglass Hatchery, located about 300 miles east of Portland, is one of the 33 hatcheries in Oregon which harvests stocks of salmon to be used for food or sport fishing.
—Noah Osborne, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024
Bonds Ranch Road slices east from Eagle Mountain Lake across roughly 10 miles of farmland and subdivisions.
—Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2024
Wicker Road remains closed between just west of Lake Road and just east of State Road 37, according to Kyle Bloyd with Indy's DPW.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 2 Apr. 2024
From here, Mike and I branch east in the direction of Duba Plains, a private island concession spanning 81,500 acres, where we are greeted by two bull elephants yanking up papyrus and folding it into their pink mouths.
—Alex Postman, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Apr. 2024
Neptune Township is along the Atlantic Ocean next to Asbury Park and about 44 miles east of Trenton, the state's capital.
—Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 27 Mar. 2024
Adjective
The report also noted that Black youth are nine times more likely to be shot in Indianapolis compared to youth of other races and youth firearm injuries are more concentrated on the city's east side.
—Sarah Nelson, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024
Meets at the overlook deck just off the far east side of the parking lot.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Apr. 2024
The former home of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee chancellor is for sale on Milwaukee's east side.
—Kelly Meyerhofer, Journal Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2024
Two Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers in full police uniform were working off-duty employment at an east side bar in Indianapolis when a disturbance in the parking lot occurred at around 1:30 a.m.
—USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2024
Located on Manhattan’s east side, the animal hospital and its more than 130 veterinarians logged nearly 60,000 patient visits in 2023, as one of a handful of centers across the country equipped to manage the most complicated medical cases, which clinics with fewer resources cannot handle.
—Thalia Beaty, Quartz, 17 Mar. 2024
Sergio Florian was out for an evening run up a mountain on Oahu’s east side when something caught his eye: a white and gray dog curled up near the edge of a 1,000-foot cliff.
—Cathy Free, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
The clinician response team operates on a 24/7 schedule downtown and in east Indianapolis.
—Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 28 Feb. 2024
First responders are on the scene of a house explosion on Detroit's east side that left three children injured.
—Detroit Free Press, 27 Feb. 2024
Noun
Three days ahead of their prime-slot appearance at Coachella, Blur put on a packed preview show at the Fox Theater in Pomona, Calif., a half-hour east of Los Angeles.
—Lily Moayeri, Variety, 11 Apr. 2024
The Northwest Territory was made up of all the land west of Pennsylvania, north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River, up to the border with Canada — real estate that now includes Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and part of Minnesota.
—Chris Foran, Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2024
The areas with the highest probability for rain showers and possibly an isolated thunderstorm are located along and east of the U.S. 65 highway and south of the U.S. 50 highway.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024
Some areas may see up to 4 inches of rain south of I-20 and east of I-35.
—David Montesino, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2024
The light glowing behind it, implying dawn or dusk, is impossible since the real sign faces south, not east or west, where it could be backed by the rising or setting sun.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2024
Boundaries: Mansion Flats’ boundaries go north to the Union Pacific Railroad tracks, west to 12th Street, south to J Street and east to 16th Street.
—Hanh Truong, Sacramento Bee, 6 Apr. 2024
The Charlotte firm is planning to redevelop 84 acres on the north and south side of Sardis Lane and east of Providence Road.
—Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 4 Apr. 2024
But on Réunion—the most far-flung of the lot, a small island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar—almost all the rum made there is from molasses, not cane juice.
—Tony Sachs, Robb Report, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'east.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near east
Cite this Entry
“East.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/east. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
east
1 of 3 adverb
: to or toward the east
east
2 of 3 adjective1
: located toward or at the east
the east door of the school
2
: coming from the east
an east wind
east
3 of 3 noun1
a
: the general direction of sunrise
b
: the compass point directly opposite to west
2
capitalized
: regions or countries east of a specific place
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