east

1. 1
   on a compassnoununcountable

   The direction the sun comes up from, shown as 90 degrees on a compass.

   We drove toward the east, right into the sunrise.

   Dark clouds were coming in from the east.

   UsageUsually used with the: from the east, to the east of a place.

   Oppositewest

2. 2
   adjective

   On the side or in the part that is toward the east.

   Our classroom is in the east wing of the school.

   The east side of the house gets the morning sun.

   Similareastern

   Oppositewest, western

3. 3
   adverb

   Going or facing toward the east.

   We drove east for three hours.

   Our bedroom window faces east, so the sun wakes us up early.

   UsageSay go east or face east, with no to before it.

   Similareastward, eastwards

   Oppositewest, westward

4. 4
   Asiaproper noun · Eastcountable or uncountable

   The lands, mostly in the eastern half of the world, whose ways of life come from Arabia, India, Persia or China.

   Tea and silk first came to Europe from the East.

   Her great-grandfather spent years in the East and came home speaking Persian and Hindi.

   UsageWrite the East, with a capital E.

   SimilarOrient

   OppositeWest, Occident

   Note
5. 5
   noununcountable

   The eastern part of a place, or the people who live there.

   It snows much more in the east of our state than in the west.

   The whole east voted against the new tax.

   UsageSay the east of the country. With a capital, the East is used like a name.

   Oppositewest

   Note
6. 6
   Atlantic USproper noun · Eastcountable or uncountable

   The states on the eastern side of the United States.

   We live in Oregon, but my grandparents live in the East, so we fly to see them every winter.

   Harvard and Yale are both in the East, far from our home in California.

   UsageSay the East, but back East with no the.

   OppositeWest

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