# go west

> English word · Verb

## Definitions
1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see go, west.
2. Synonym of set: to move toward the western horizon, to go down.
3. Synonym of die.
4. To be lost, destroyed, or otherwise ruined.
5. To move to the American West, particularly (historical) during the 19th century era.

## Etymology
In reference to death, originally Scottish, reaching broader usage among the soldiers of World War I. In reference to Manifest Destiny in the United States, a paraphrase of Horace Greeley's 25 Aug. 1838 advice in The New Yorker that young men should "Go to the West" if free to do so.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/go-west