English Reference

Word

westbound

Phoneticswest·bound

US/ˈwɛstˌbaʊnd/

UK/wˈɛstbaʊnd/

Definition

adj. moving or leading toward the west. You see this word on road signs or when traveling by train or plane.

adj. moving, traveling, or leading toward the west. Often used to specify the direction of traffic flow or public transport routes.

Examples

“The westbound train leaves in ten minutes.”

“Heavy traffic is causing significant delays on the westbound lanes of the motorway this afternoon.”

“The pilot adjusted the flight path to avoid a developing storm system, ensuring the westbound aircraft remained on schedule for its evening arrival in San Francisco.”

Examples

simple

“The westbound train leaves in ten minutes.”

contextual

“Heavy traffic is causing significant delays on the westbound lanes of the motorway this afternoon.”

complex

“The pilot adjusted the flight path to avoid a developing storm system, ensuring the westbound aircraft remained on schedule for its evening arrival in San Francisco.”

Usage

Commonly used both attributively before a noun and predicatively after a linking verb.

Real-World Examples

“Toronto Police said the motorcyclist was travelling westbound on Lake Shore Blvd.”
Toronto Sun · 27 Sept 2026
“In July that year, the words ‘Boris is …’ were painted on one side of the bridge, visible to westbound traffic.”
The Guardian · 1 Sept 2026

Etymology

From west + -bound.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/westbound

English Reference