west

west — noun

1. The direction where day ends, the opposite of east; also the side of a country o

1.nounA2
Definition

The direction where day ends, the opposite of east; also the side of a country or area found there.

Example

The sun goes down in the west each evening, making the sky turn orange.

the west as direction of sunset

Hyun's house sits on the west side of the lake with mountain views.

Common collocations
  • the west of
  • in the west
  • from the west
  • to the west
Synonyms
  • western part

    used when describing a section of a country or region rather than the abstract direction

Antonyms
  • east

    the opposite compass direction

Usage Note

Use 'the west' when talking about a specific part of a place ('the west of Ireland'). Use 'west' without 'the' when giving a general direction ('from the east to the west').

Common Mistakes

The sun sets in west.
The sun sets in the west.
'west' needs 'the' when referring to the specific direction as a place.

2. A political and economic grouping that includes the United States, Canada, and t

2.nounB2
Definition

A political and economic grouping that includes the United States, Canada, and the nations of western Europe, all sharing similar democratic values.

Example

Trade between the West and East Asia has grown rapidly since the 1990s.

the West as geopolitical region

Rachid studied the history of the West at a university in Istanbul.

Common collocations
  • the West and
  • the West has
  • in the West
  • from the West
Synonyms
  • Western world

    broader term that includes cultural aspects beyond politics

  • the Occident

    very formal or literary; rare in everyday speech

Antonyms
  • the East

    geopolitical counterpart, especially Asia

  • the Global South

    alternative grouping based on economic development rather than geography

Usage Note

Always capitalized ('the West') when referring to this geopolitical group. Distinguish from noun sense 1 (compass direction), which is usually lowercase.

Common Mistakes

I traveled to the west for a conference.' (meaning Europe/US).
I traveled to the West for a conference.
capitalize 'West' for the geopolitical region, lowercase for the compass direction.

3. The territory in the United States that lies beyond the Mississippi, where settl

3.nounB1
Definition

The territory in the United States that lies beyond the Mississippi, where settlers established new communities during the 1800s.

Example

Gold was discovered in the American West in the middle of the 1800s.

the West as historical US region

Rodrigo dreams of visiting the Wild West and seeing the old cowboy towns.

Common collocations
  • the American West
  • the Wild West
  • go West
  • out West
Synonyms
  • the Wild West

    informal; focuses on the lawless, adventurous character of the frontier era

  • the frontier

    broader historical term for the edge of settled territory

Usage Note

Always capitalized ('the West') when referring to this historical American region. Often called 'the Wild West' in popular culture.

Common Mistakes

The west of America is mostly mountains.' (ambiguous).
The American West refers to the historical region settled in the 1800s.
be specific; otherwise use 'the western United States'.

4. Heading toward or located within the western United States, especially in the te

4.nounB1
Definition

Heading toward or located within the western United States, especially in the territory beyond the Mississippi.

Example

My cousin moved out West after college and now lives near Portland.

out West as a fixed phrase

Maeve's family drove out West every summer to visit her grandparents.

Common collocations
  • move out West
  • go out West
  • head out West
  • live out West
Synonyms
  • out west

    same phrase, lowercase; can refer to any western area, not just the US

Usage Note

Used as a fixed adverbial phrase. Only capitalized when used as a proper name for the western US region. In other contexts ('out west of here'), no capital is needed.

west — adjective

west — adverb

Word family

  • western
    adjectiveA2
  • westward
    adverbB1
  • westward
    adjectiveB1
  • westerly
    adjectiveB2
  • westerner
    nounB1
  • westernize
    verbB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words relate to the direction 'west', but they differ in grammatical role and typical use. 'West' as a noun names the direction itself ('the sun sets in the west'). 'Western' is an adjective describing cultural or regional origin ('western Europe', 'western lifestyle') — it is the most common choice for regions and abstract categories. 'Westward' functions as both an adverb and adjective emphasizing movement toward the west ('the westward journey'), and is slightly more formal than the adverb 'west'. 'Westerly' is a more technical adjective used mainly with wind ('westerly winds') and can also describe a general tendency toward the west ('westerly direction'). In everyday speech, 'west' is the simplest and most frequent choice; use 'western' for cultural references and 'westward' for journeys or movement.

westwesternwestwardwesterly

Common collocations

Nouns

  • west coast
  • west side
  • west wind
  • west entrance
  • west wing

Adverbs

  • due west
  • directly west
  • far west
  • further west

Phrases

  • go west
  • head west
  • the Wild West
  • out West

Prepositions

  • to the west
  • from the west
  • in the west
  • west of

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

The word 'west' comes from Old English 'west', from a Proto-Germanic root '*westr-'. This root is related to Latin 'vesper' (evening) and Greek 'hesperos' (evening star), all tracing back to the Proto-Indo-European root '*wes-' meaning 'to dwell' or 'to stay'. The connection is that evening is the time when people stop moving and settle for the night, so the direction of the setting sun became named for this idea of rest and the end of the day.