southeast

1 of 3

adverb

south·​east sau̇th-ˈēst 

 nautical  sau̇-ˈēst

: to, toward, or in the southeast

southeast

2 of 3

noun

1

a

: the general direction between south and east

b

: the point midway between the south and east compass points

2

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

southeast

3 of 3

adjective

1

: coming from the southeast

a southeast wind

2

: situated toward or at the southeast

the southeast corner

Examples of southeast in a Sentence

Adverb

It's a few miles southeast of here.

Noun

A mountain range is in the southeast of the country.

Rain is moving into the Southeast.

He grew up in the Southeast.

Adjective

My office is in the southeast corner of the building.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

The Sunset Fire in Hollywood Hills is located more southeast of Mount Lee, concentrated near Runyon Canyon Park, which is about 7.5 miles from the Hollywood Sign. Wildfire updates and analysis: Sign up for USA TODAY's Climate Point newsletter. —Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2025

The four-day event will take place June 12-15 on the 700-acre Bonnaroo Farm in Manchester, Tennessee, located about 60 miles southeast of Nashville. —Mesfin Fekadu, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Jan. 2025

Noun

Topline Parts of 19 southern and midwestern states are under warnings and watches for winter storm and weather Thursday as Winter Storm Cora threatens to bring up to 8 inches of snow from Oklahoma to North Carolina with sleet, freezing rain and ice accumulation to follow throughout the southeast. —Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025

Follow along for live coverage On Tuesday morning, the Palisades Fire ignited in Los Angeles southeast of Palisades Drive, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. —Patrick Smith, NBC News, 7 Jan. 2025

Adjective

Zoom out: Carter's work on The Atlanta Project, his mid-1990s initiative to rebuild communities in underinvested southeast Atlanta neighborhoods, helped secure federal funding for East Lake's revitalization, former mayor Shirley Franklin told Axios. —Thomas Wheatley, Axios, 30 Dec. 2024

In November 2022, a 28-year-old man who fell overboard from a Carnival Valor cruise ship was rescued off of Louisiana's southeast coast after treading water for nearly 20 hours. —Rebecca Rosman, NPR, 27 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

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

Phrases Containing southeast

• east-southeast
• southeast by east
• southeast by south
• south-southeast

Kids Definition

southeast

1 of 3 adverb

south·​east sau̇-ˈthēst 

 nautical  sau̇-ˈēst

: to or toward the southeast

southeast

2 of 3 noun

1

: the direction between south and east

2

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

southeast

3 of 3 adjective

1

: situated toward or at the southeast

the southeast corner

2

: coming from the southeast

a southeast wind