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east definition

east (ēst)

noun

  1. the direction to the right of a person facing north; direction in which sunrise occurs: it is properly the point on the horizon at which the center of the sun rises at the equinox
  2. the point on a compass at 90°, directly opposite west
  3. a region or district in or toward this direction

Etymology: ME est < OE east, akin to Ger osten, ON austr < Gmc base *aust-, dawn < IE base *awes-, to shine, dawn > L aurora, dawn, aurum, gold

adjective

  1. in, of, to, toward, or facing the east
  2. from the east an east wind
  3. designating the eastern part of a continent, country, etc. East Africa
  4. in, of, or toward the altar of a church

adverb

in or toward the east; in an easterly direction
east Idioms

the East

  1. ☆ the eastern part of the U.S.; specif.,
    1. the part east of the Allegheny Mountains, from Me. through Md.
    2. the part east of the Mississippi and north of the Ohio
  2. the Eastern Hemisphere; specif., Asia and the nearby islands

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

east Synonyms

east

modif.

  1. Situated to the east

    eastern, eastward, in the east, on the east side of, toward the sunrise, east side, lying toward the east, situated toward the east, easterly, easternmost, eastmost.

  2. Going toward the east

    eastbound, eastward, easterly, to the east, toward the east, headed east, in an easterly direction.

  3. Coming from the east

    easterly, westbound, headed west, out of the east, westward, westerly, tending to the west, tending toward the west.


East

n.

  1. The eastern part of the United States

    the eastern states, the Atlantic seaboard, the Eastern seaboard, East Coast, land east of the Alleghenies, land east of the Appalachians, land east of the Mississippi, the Northeast, the Southeast, older sections of the country, Rust Belt*, Snowbelt*; see also South. see also Boston, New York, Washington.

    Areas in the East include: East Coast, Atlantic Coast, Boston to Washington corridor, Boston to Washington megalopolis, Appalachia, Middle Atlantic States, Maine, New England, down East, the Thirteen Colonies;

  2. The eastern part of Eurasia

    Asia, Asia Minor, Far East, Middle East, Mideast, Near East, southeast Asia, Orient, Levant, Indian subcontinent, Arabia, Mesopotamia, Siberia, Mongolia; for countries in the East, see Asia.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

east Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

  • egg: He must hide all easter eggs in the garden, without Jeff catching him.

Modifying Another Word

  • south: Most retail head offices are sited in London or the south east, with some in the midlands.

Modifies a noun

  • coast: Some Roman coins have been found on the east coast of Ireland, brought no doubt by traders or raiders.

Used with adjective complement

  • head: Find another path heading due east from here, skirting the village along the contour.
east usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

east quotes

A Boston man is the east wind made flesh.

-Appleton,Thomas Gold

For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is fromthe west, so far hath heremoved our transgressions from us.

-Bible (Old Testament)

Whether on Ida's shady brow, Or in the chambers of the East, The chambers of the sun that now From ancient melody have ceased.

-Blake,William

east quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"east." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/east>

APA Style

east. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/east

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