western

/ˈwɛstərn/
/ˈwɛstən/
IPA guide

Other forms: westerns; westernly

Anything western comes from the west, like a western wind that blows your hair sideways. Western also refers to anything from that half of the world — North America and Europe — as well as old cowboy movies.

Although western literally refers to anything in the west, like that wind or a direction on a compass, the Western world refers to the culture of the USA and Europe. The other is Eastern society, which includes Asia. They aren’t as popular now, but kids used to watch Westerns, also known as cowboy movies. If you go to a store that sells Western wear, you might walk out with a ten-gallon hat and red cowboy boots. Yeehaw!

Definitions of western
  1. adjective
    lying toward or situated in the west
    “our company's western office”
    synonyms:
    west
    situated in or facing or moving toward the west
  2. adjective
    of wind; from the west
    synonyms: westerly
    west
    situated in or facing or moving toward the west
  3. adjective
    relating to or characteristic of the western parts of the world or the West as opposed to the eastern or oriental parts
    synonyms:
    Hesperian, occidental
    denoting or characteristic of countries of Europe and the western hemisphere
    see moresee less
    antonyms:
    eastern
    relating to or characteristic of regions of eastern parts of the world
    oriental
    denoting or characteristic of countries of Asia
    show more antonyms...
  4. adjective
    of or characteristic of regions of the United States west of the Mississippi River
    synonyms:
    southwestern
    of a region of the United States generally including New Mexico; Arizona; Texas; California; and sometimes Nevada; Utah; Colorado
    midwestern
    of a region of the United States generally including Ohio; Indiana; Illinois; Iowa; Missouri; Kansas; Nebraska; and sometimes Michigan; Wisconsin; Minnesota
    northwestern
    of a region of the United States generally including Washington; Oregon; Idaho; and sometimes Montana; Wyoming
    west-central
    of a region of the United States usually including Colorado; Nevada; Utah
    see moresee less
    antonyms:
    eastern
    of or characteristic of eastern regions of the United States
    east-central
    of a region of the United States generally including Kentucky, West Virginia
    mid-Atlantic, middle Atlantic
    of a region of the United States generally including Delaware; Maryland; Virginia; and usually New York; Pennsylvania; New Jersey
    northeastern
    of a region of the United States generally including the New England states; New York; and sometimes New Jersey and Pennsylvania
    southeastern
    of a region of the United States generally including Alabama; Georgia; Florida; Tennessee; South Carolina; North Carolina
    show more antonyms...
  5. noun
    a sandwich made from a western omelet
    synonyms: western sandwich
    see moresee less
    type of:
    sandwich
    two (or more) slices of bread with a filling between them
Pronunciation
US
/ˈwɛstərn/
UK
/ˈwɛstən/
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