1
a
: coming from the west
a western storm
b
: situated or lying toward the west
islands in the western half of the archipelago
2
or Western
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a region conventionally designated West: such as
a
: steeped in or stemming from the Greco-Roman traditions
Western culture
b
: of or relating to the noncommunist countries of Europe and America
Western powers
c
: of, relating to, or characteristic of the American West
Western clothes
western music
3
Western
: of or relating to the Roman Catholic or Protestant segment of Christianity
Western liturgies
1
: one that is produced in or characteristic of a western region and especially the western U.S.
2
often capitalized
: a novel, story, motion picture, or broadcast dealing with life in the western U.S. especially during the latter half of the 19th century
Examples of western in a Sentence
Adjective
the western part of the state
Old western movies are my favorites.
Recent Examples on the Web
Reuters, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024
Some Western scholars have argued that tensions between China and North Korea present the United States and its allies with a chance to push the two countries apart.
—Sungmin Cho, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2024
Marc Berman, Forbes, 6 Oct. 2024
Cinematographer Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza injured when a gun held by Baldwin fired a live round during a scene rehearsal on the set of the western.
—Cindy Von Quednow, CNN, 19 June 2024
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Adjective
China demonstrated its pull on the world stage by welcoming a delegation from Saudi Arabia with its first pavilion at the event, as well as its close ties with Russia even as that country is isolated from Western nations and their allies due to its invasion of Ukraine.
—Reuters, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024
Some Western scholars have argued that tensions between China and North Korea present the United States and its allies with a chance to push the two countries apart.
—Sungmin Cho, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2024
Noun
Popular movie themes at the time were war films, westerns, and spectacles.
—Marc Berman, Forbes, 6 Oct. 2024
Cinematographer Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza injured when a gun held by Baldwin fired a live round during a scene rehearsal on the set of the western.
—Cindy Von Quednow, CNN, 19 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for western
Dictionary Entries Near western
Cite this Entry
“Western.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/western. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
western
1 of 2 adjective
west·ern
ˈwes-tərn 
1
capitalized
: of, relating to, or resembling that of the West
2
: lying toward or coming from the west
a western storm
western
2 of 2 noun
: a story, film, or radio or television show about life in the western U.S. in the last part of the 19th century
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