southwest

1 of 3

adverb

south·​west sau̇th-ˈwest 

 nautical  sau̇-ˈwest

: to, toward, or in the southwest

southwest

2 of 3

noun

1

a

: the general direction between south and west

b

: the point midway between the south and west compass points

2

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

especially : the southwestern part of the U.S.

southwest

3 of 3

adjective

1

: coming from the southwest

a southwest wind

2

: situated toward or at the southwest

the southwest corner

Examples of southwest in a Sentence

Adverb

It's about 80 miles southwest of here.

Noun

A mountain range is in the southwest of the country.

These plants grow in the Southwest.

Adjective

the southwest corner of the building

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Co-owner Harold Bullock confirmed that the racetrack 50 miles southwest of Detroit is again on the market in a text message to the Free Press on Thursday, but did not immediately provide additional specifics. —Violet Ikonomova, Detroit Free Press, 28 Nov. 2024

But with just 7,000 miles left on the trip, Earhart and Noonan lost radio contact near the Howland Islands, nearly 2,000 miles southwest of Hawaii. Earhart, Noonan, and their plane were never found, despite extensive searching in the area, according to the National Women’s History Museum. —Michael Bartiromo, The Hill, 25 Nov. 2024

Noun

Tbilisi has been the core of the unrest, but protests have also been reported in the Black Sea city of Batumi and elsewhere in the south Caucasus nation, which is bordered by Russia to the north and Turkey to the southwest. —David Brennan, ABC News, 2 Dec. 2024

Wind gusts are also expected to reach highs of 35 mph in affected counties, shifting to the southwest on Saturday, pushing heavy snow away from the region. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2024

Adjective

Wednesday Wednesday is predicted to be partly sunny with a high near 46 and southwest winds of 9 to 14 mph with gusts up to 28 mph. —Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 2 Dec. 2024

These advances present Russian forces with three possible courses of action for the upcoming winter, the ISW said, the first of which could be further advances southwest, east, and northeast of Velyka Novosilka to envelop the settlement from its flanks. —Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

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

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing southwest

• south-southwest
• southwest by south
• southwest by west
• west-southwest

Kids Definition

southwest

1 of 3 adverb

south·​west sau̇th-ˈwest 

 nautical  sau̇-ˈwest

: to or toward the southwest

southwest

2 of 3 noun

1

: the direction between south and west

2

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

southwest

3 of 3 adjective

1

: coming from the southwest

a southwest wind

2

: situated toward or at the southwest

the southwest corner