Word
westward
Phoneticswest·ward
US/ˈwɛstwɝd/
UK/wˈɛstwəd/
Definition
adv. toward the west. You use this to describe moving or looking in the direction where the sun sets.
adv. moving or directed toward the west.
Examples
“The pioneers traveled westward across the plains.”
“As the storm cleared, the hikers continued their journey westward toward the mountain range.”
“The expansion of the railway system facilitated a massive westward migration, fundamentally altering the demographic and economic landscape of the continent within a single generation.”
Examples
simple
“The pioneers traveled westward across the plains.”
contextual
“As the storm cleared, the hikers continued their journey westward toward the mountain range.”
complex
“The expansion of the railway system facilitated a massive westward migration, fundamentally altering the demographic and economic landscape of the continent within a single generation.”
Usage
Typically follows the verb of motion or sits at the end of the clause.
Pitfall
They moved to westward.
They moved westward.
Westward is an adverb of direction and does not require the preposition 'to'.
Real-World Examples
“Photograph: Yonhap News Agency/Reuters Meanwhile, across the north Pacific, Hurricane Lala achieved category 1 hurricane status on 15 August, travelling westwards towards Hawaii with wind speeds of about 80mph (130km/h).” Etymology
From Middle English westward, from Old English westweard.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/westward