- usually the eastthe direction that you look towards to see the sun rise; one of the four main points of the compass
- Which way is east?
- A gale was blowing from the east.
- an east-facing terrace
- to the east (of…) a town to the east of (= further east than) Chicago
- The train line facilitates travel between east and west.
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- the east, the Eastthe eastern part of a country, region or city
- The east of the country is especially popular with tourists.
- Around 2 000 teachers from around the East of England attended the conference.
- in the east I was born in the East, but now live in San Francisco.
- Elsewhere in the East, wet, unsettled weather will continue until the weekend.
- House prices in the east have risen significantly over the last five years.
- There's been a severe earthquake in the east of the country.
- the Eastthe countries of Asia, especially China, Japan and India
- European traders started trading with the East in the 15th century.
- the East(in the past) the Communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe
- the centrally planned system of the East
- East–West relations
Word OriginOld English ēast-, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch oost and German ost, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin aurora, Greek auōs ‘dawn’.
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east