adj · adv · name · noun · 26 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/iːst/
ēst
British, Southern, Standard:/ɪjst/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
UK:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -iːst
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
homophone: east
CMU ARPABET:IY1 S T
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Situated or lying in or towards the east; eastward.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
Blowing (as wind) from the east.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
adj
Meaning 3
Of or pertaining to the east; eastern.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
adj
Meaning 4
From the East; oriental.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
adj
Meaning 5
Designating, or situated in, the liturgical east.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Topics: ecclesiastical, lifestyle, religion
Examples
the east front of a cathedral
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
adv
Meaning 6
Towards the east; eastwards.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
name
Meaning 7
Any of various particular regions named for the cardinal direction in which they lie.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
name
Meaning 8
Any of various particular regions named for the cardinal direction in which they lie.
The Eastern world; the regions, primarily situated in the Eastern Hemisphere, whose culture is derived from Arabia, India, Persia or China.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
9
name
Meaning 9
Any of various particular regions named for the cardinal direction in which they lie.
The Eastern Bloc; the eastern countries of Europe.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
10
name
Meaning 10
Any of various particular regions named for the cardinal direction in which they lie.
the Soviet Union and its socialist allies during the Cold War.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, historical, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
11
name
Meaning 11
Any of various particular regions named for the cardinal direction in which they lie.
The Eastern Roman Empire.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, historical, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
12
name
Meaning 12
Any of various particular regions named for the cardinal direction in which they lie.
That part of the Christian Church whose traditions and practices originated in the former territories of the Eastern Roman Empire, including the Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, Oriental Orthodox Church, and Church of the East.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: Christianity
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
13
name
Meaning 13
Any of various particular regions named for the cardinal direction in which they lie.
The eastern states of the United States.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
14
name
Meaning 14
Any of various particular regions named for the cardinal direction in which they lie.
A civil parish of Kings County, Prince Edward Island, Canada.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
15
name
Meaning 15
A personification of the wind from the east.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
Near-synonyms: easter, levanter
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: easter, levanter
Antonyms: none provided
16
name
Meaning 16
A surname.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
17
noun
Meaning 17
The direction of the earth's rotation, specifically 90°.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
Portsmouth is to the east of Southampton.
We live in the east of the country.
The sun rises in the east.
The levanter wind is in/from the east.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
18
noun
Meaning 18
The eastern region or area; the inhabitants thereof.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
19
noun
Meaning 19
In a church: the direction of the altar and chancel; the direction faced by the priest when celebrating ad orientem.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: ecclesiastical, lifestyle, religion
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
20
adjective
Meaning 20
situated in or facing or moving toward the east
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: west
21
adverb
Meaning 21
to, toward, or in the east
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
we travelled east for several miles
located east of Rome
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
22
noun
Meaning 22
a location in the eastern part of a country, region, or city
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: location
23
noun
Meaning 23
the countries of Asia
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: Orient
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: Asia
24
noun
Meaning 24
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Ohio River and to the east of the Mississippi River
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: eastern United States
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: geographical area, geographic area, geographical region, geographic region
25
noun
Meaning 25
the cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: due east, eastward, E
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: cardinal compass point
26
noun
Meaning 26
the direction corresponding to the eastward cardinal compass point
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: direction
History
Etymology
From Middle English est, from Old English ēast, from Proto-West Germanic *austr, from Proto-Germanic *austrą, from Proto-Germanic *austraz, from Proto-Indo-European *h2éwsteros (“east”). Cognates Cognate with Scots aist (“east”), North Frisian uast, ååst, ööst (“east”), Saterland Frisian Aaste (“east”), West Frisian east (“east”), Dutch oost (“east”), German Ost (“east”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål øst (“east”), Faroese eystur (“east”), Icelandic austur (“east”), Norwegian Nynorsk aust, øst (“east”), Swedish ost, öst, öster (“east”); also with Avestan 𐬎𐬱𐬀𐬯𐬙𐬀𐬭𐬀 (ušastara, “eastern”), Latin auster (“south”).
By proprialization from east.
Across languages
Translations
558 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
شَرْقِيٌّ
(šarqiyyun)
— in or towards the east
Armenian:
արեւելյան
(arewelyan)
— in or towards the east
Belarusian:
усхо́дні
(usxódni)
— in or towards the east
Belarusian:
ўсхо́дні
(wsxódni)
— in or towards the east
Eastern Min Chinese:
東 /东
(dĕ̤ng / dŭng)
— in or towards the east
Chinese Mandarin:
東 /东
(dōng)
— in or towards the east
Czech:
východní
— in or towards the east
Dutch:
oostelijk
— in or towards the east
Esperanto:
orienta
— in or towards the east
Finnish:
itäinen
— in or towards the east
Finnish:
itä-
— in or towards the east
French:
à l'est
— in or towards the east
West-Frisian:
eastlik
— in or towards the east
Bavarian German:
oscht
— in or towards the east
Greek:
ανατολικός
(anatolikós)
— in or towards the east
Hungarian:
keleti
— in or towards the east
Indonesian:
timur
— in or towards the east
Italian:
orientale
— in or towards the east
Japanese:
東
(higashi)
— in or towards the east
Latin:
orientalis
— in or towards the east
Latvian:
austrumu
— in or towards the east
Macedonian:
источно
(istočno)
— in or towards the east
Malay:
timur
— in or towards the east
Maltese:
lejn il-lvant
— in or towards the east
Navajo:
haʼaʼaahjigo
— in or towards the east
Polish:
wschodni
— in or towards the east
Portuguese:
ao leste
— in or towards the east
Portuguese:
oriental
— in or towards the east
Rohingya:
fuk
— in or towards the east
Romanian:
est
— in or towards the east
Russian:
восто́чный
(vostóčnyj)
— in or towards the east