westward

1 of 2

adverb or adjective

west·​ward ˈwes-twərd 

: toward the west

westwards

ˈwes-twərdz 

adverb

westward

2 of 2

noun

: westward direction or part

sail to the westward

Examples of westward in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb or adjective

During El Nino, westward-blowing trade winds across the western equatorial Pacific weaken, allowing warmer water to move east toward North and South America. — ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026

The goal of the multi-state operation is to stop the spread of rabies westward and, along with other operations by the USDA, eventually eliminate terrestrial rabies from the United States. — Dan Raby, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026

Noun

Troy was the starting point of Odysseus’s calamitous 10-year westward voyage, with many detours and misadventures, to his kingdom of Ithaca. — Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Apr. 2026

At the beginning of the Iron Age, Phoenicians set out westwards, searching for valuable natural resources to be brought back and traded in the urbanized world of the eastern Mediterranean. — Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb Or Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

circa 1596, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for westward

• northwestward
• southwestward

Kids Definition

westward

1 of 2 adverb or adjective

west·​ward ˈwes-twərd 

: toward the west

westwards

-twərdz 

adverb

westward

2 of 2 noun

: westward direction or part