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
Matt Hubbard, Baltimore Sun, 19 Jan. 2025
Adjacent to the winter storm, freezing temperatures are forecast for southern Pennsylvania, southern West Virginia, western Virginia, western North Carolina, northwest Georgia, and northeast Alabama, with wind chills as low as 25 degrees below zero.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 19 Jan. 2025
Tasha Tsiaperas, Axios, 15 Jan. 2025
This is also the plot that feels most distinct from modern westerns, which sometimes shrink away from considering how religion played into theories of American exceptionalism.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for western 
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Adjective
Snow totals are expected to be higher in the northern and western parts of the region, according to NWS.
—Matt Hubbard, Baltimore Sun, 19 Jan. 2025
Adjacent to the winter storm, freezing temperatures are forecast for southern Pennsylvania, southern West Virginia, western Virginia, western North Carolina, northwest Georgia, and northeast Alabama, with wind chills as low as 25 degrees below zero.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 19 Jan. 2025
Noun
The artworks delve deeper than the stereotypical portrayal of cowboys like the men played by John Wayne in classic American westerns.
—Tasha Tsiaperas, Axios, 15 Jan. 2025
This is also the plot that feels most distinct from modern westerns, which sometimes shrink away from considering how religion played into theories of American exceptionalism.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2025
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 27 Jan. 2025.
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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