northwest

1 of 3

adverb

north·​west nȯrth-ˈwest 

nautical

nȯr-ˈwest 

: to, toward, or in the northwest

northwest

2 of 3

adjective

1

: coming from the northwest

a northwest wind

2

: situated toward or at the northwest

the northwest corner

northwest

3 of 3

noun

1

a

: the general direction between north and west

b

: the point midway between the north and west compass points

2

capitalized : regions or countries lying to the northwest of a specified or implied point of orientation

Examples of northwest in a Sentence

Adverb

It's about 80 miles northwest of here.

I headed northwest on Route 1.

Adjective

the northwest corner of the building

Noun

A mountain range is in the northwest of the country.

We traveled throughout the Northwest.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

In April 2019, as Dave took Diesel and their llama out for a trail ride in the Cache Creek Wilderness — a remote area northwest of Sacramento covering almost 30,000 acres of land — the donkey got spooked and took off. —Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 21 June 2024

Stacy Lee Drake, 50, was captured in a wooded area in the town of Morrilton, about 35 miles northwest of Little Rock, authorities said. —Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 20 June 2024

Adjective

Nighttime video, shared by the Republic of Dagestan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, showed at least a dozen law enforcement officers — who appear to be armed and wearing tactical gear — outside the gates of a cathedral in northwest Makhachkala. —Darya Tarasova, CNN, 24 June 2024

The cumin lamb, a signature item at the restaurant and a staple in Xinjiang, in northwest China, is a family recipe and one of the few dishes that Jason Wang, the owner, enjoyed as a child. —New York Times, 18 June 2024

Noun

Yavapai County is about a 100-mile drive northwest from Phoenix. —Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 18 June 2024

Livingston is about a 10-mile drive northwest from Newark. —Helena Wegner, Miami Herald, 18 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing northwest

• north-northwest
• northwest by north
• northwest by west
• the northwest
• west-northwest

Kids Definition

northwest

1 of 3 adverb

north·​west nȯrth-ˈwest 

nautical

nȯr-ˈwest 

: to or toward the northwest

northwest

2 of 3 noun

1

: the direction between north and west

2

capitalized : the regions or countries northwest of a point that is mentioned or understood

northwest

3 of 3 adjective

1

: coming from the northwest

a northwest wind

2

: placed or lying toward or at the northwest

the northwest corner

Geographical Definition

North West

geographical name

variants or Noordwes

ˌnȯrd-ˈwes 

ˌnȯrt-

province of the northern part of the Republic of South Africa bordering Botswana area 44,861 square miles (116,190 square kilometers), population 3,509,953