Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The western United States during the period of its settlement, especially with reference to its lawlessness.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun The western United States during the 19th-century era of settlement, commonly believed to be lawless and unruly.
  • proper noun by extension A place or situation in which disorderly behavior prevails, especially due to a lack of regulatory oversight or an inadequate legal system.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the western United States during its frontier period

Etymologies

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Examples

  • In my day, the Wild West was the Web, and our twentysomething job was to convince people to use it for everything.

    a trip on the bricks 2007

  • In my day, the Wild West was the Web, and our twentysomething job was to convince people to use it for everything.

    a trip on the bricks 2007

  • Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West is a 3rd person shooter delivering an intense team based multiplayer experience.

    PS3Vault 2010

  • Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West is a third person shooter delivering an intense team based multiplayer experience.

    Softpedia - Windows - All 2010

  • Among us in the Golani, no one knew, and regarding our routine practices for opening fire, to call it the Wild West is a big understatement. "

    Israel Palestine Blogs 2009

  • Among us in the Golani, no one knew, and regarding our routine practices for opening fire, to call it the Wild West is a big understatement. "

    Lawrence of Cyberia 2009

  • Among us in the Golani, no one knew, and regarding our routine practices for opening fire, to call it the Wild West is a big understatement. "

    Lawrence of Cyberia 2009

  • Among us in the Golani, no one knew, and regarding our routine practices for opening fire, to call it the Wild West is a big understatement. "

    Palestine Blogs aggregator 2009

  • They were also, like the brothels of the Wild West, frequently integrated.

    A Renegade History of the United States Thaddeus Russell 2010

  • He also said that pre-Bono, Sting and Madonna, the West Side was more like the Wild West, a haven for Irish gangsters and heroin users.

    Second-Story Daredevils Ralph Gardner Jr. 2011

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