WEST

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does West mean? 

• WEST (noun)
  The noun WEST has 8 senses:

1. the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America

2. the cardinal compass point that is a 270 degrees

3. the region of the United States lying to the west of the Mississippi River

4. the direction corresponding to the westward cardinal compass point

5. British writer (born in Ireland) (1892-1983)

6. United States film actress (1892-1980)

7. English painter (born in America) who became the second president of the Royal Academy (1738-1820)

8. a location in the western part of a country, region, or city

  Familiarity information: WEST used as a noun is common.

• WEST (adjective)
  The adjective WEST has 1 sense:

1. situated in or facing or moving toward the west

  Familiarity information: WEST used as an adjective is very rare.

• WEST (adverb)
  The adverb WEST has 1 sense:

1. to, toward, or in the west

  Familiarity information: WEST used as an adverb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• WEST (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Synonyms:

Occident; West

Instance hypernyms:

region (a large indefinite location on the surface of the Earth)

Meronyms (parts of "West"):

Europe (the 2nd smallest continent (actually a vast peninsula of Eurasia); the British use 'Europe' to refer to all of the continent except the British Isles)

North America (a continent (the third largest) in the western hemisphere connected to South America by the Isthmus of Panama)

South America (a continent in the western hemisphere connected to North America by the Isthmus of Panama)

Attribute:

western (relating to or characteristic of the western parts of the world or the West as opposed to the eastern or oriental parts)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The cardinal compass point that is a 270 degrees

Classified under:

Nouns denoting relations between people or things or ideas

Synonyms:

due west; W; west; westward

Hypernyms ("west" is a kind of...):

cardinal compass point (one of the four main compass points)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The region of the United States lying to the west of the Mississippi River

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Synonyms:

West; western United States

Instance hypernyms:

geographic area; geographic region; geographical area; geographical region (a demarcated area of the Earth)

Meronyms (parts of "West"):

Santa Fe Trail (a trail that extends from Missouri to New Mexico; an important route for settlers moving west in the 19th century)

Southwest; southwestern United States (the southwestern region of the United States generally including New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, California, and sometimes Utah and Colorado)

Northwest; northwestern United States (the northwestern region of the United States)

West Coast (the western seaboard of the United States from Washington to southern California)

Attribute:

western (of or characteristic of regions of the United States west of the Mississippi River)

Domain member region:

butte (a hill that rises abruptly from the surrounding region; has a flat top and sloping sides)

sourdough (a settler or prospector (especially in western United States or northwest Canada and Alaska))

dry wash; wash (the dry bed of an intermittent stream (as at the bottom of a canyon))

ghost town (a deserted settlement (especially in western United States))

Instance hyponyms:

Wild West (the western United States during its frontier period)

Holonyms ("West" is a part of...):

America; the States; U.S.; U.S.A.; United States; United States of America; US; USA (North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The direction corresponding to the westward cardinal compass point

Classified under:

Nouns denoting relations between people or things or ideas

Hypernyms ("west" is a kind of...):

direction (the spatial relation between something and the course along which it points or moves)

Sense 5

Meaning:

British writer (born in Ireland) (1892-1983)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

Cicily Isabel Fairfield; Dame Rebecca West; Rebecca West; West

Instance hypernyms:

author; writer (writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay))

Sense 6

Meaning:

United States film actress (1892-1980)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

Mae West; West

Instance hypernyms:

actress (a female actor)

comedienne (a female comedian)

Sense 7

Meaning:

English painter (born in America) who became the second president of the Royal Academy (1738-1820)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

Benjamin West; West

Instance hypernyms:

painter (an artist who paints)

Sense 8

Meaning:

A location in the western part of a country, region, or city

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Hypernyms ("west" is a kind of...):

location (a point or extent in space)

• WEST (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Situated in or facing or moving toward the west

Similar:

westbound; westerly; westward (moving toward the west)

western (lying toward or situated in the west)

westerly; western (of wind; from the west)

westernmost; westmost (farthest to the west)

westside (of the western part of a city)

Antonym:

east (situated in or facing or moving toward the east)

• WEST (adverb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

To, toward, or in the west

Context example:

situated west of Boston

 Context examples 

There were seven in the pocket of Cadogan West.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

"Kill the Wicked Witch of the West," answered Oz.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

Being or located on or directed toward the side of the body to the west when facing north.

(Left, NCI Thesaurus)

A country in Central Asia, west of China.

(Kyrgyzstan, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

A tree native to West Africa.

(Johimbe, NCI Dictionary)

We were coming home for dinner, and had come to the top of the steps up from the West Pier and stopped to look at the view, as we generally do.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Ah! But we shall not meet often, I fear, this place is at the West.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

But I never went beyond the Streights, and never was in the West Indies.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

Oh, to the other side of the West End.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

That’s a new man from the West.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)