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

Much of the land northwest of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, where I-95 and 595 intersect, could be underwater. —Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 7 Apr. 2025

About twenty years before Fox arrived, a conglomerate of textile corporations took over farm settlements and tribal territory along the Merrimack River northwest of Boston to build a city of large mills. —The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 2 Apr. 2025

Adjective

North Two Ocean Creek Located in northwest Wyoming, North Two Ocean Creek moves through a canyon. —Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Apr. 2025

Mark Zuckerberg is the proud owner of a $23 million mansion in a nook of northwest Washington, D.C., directly across from the vice-presidential compound and a breezy 12-minute drive to the White House. —Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 3 Apr. 2025

Noun

Maurepas is about a 70-mile drive northwest from New Orleans. —Mark Price, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2025

Oxnard is about a 60-mile drive northwest from Los Angeles. —Daniella Segura, Sacbee.com, 28 Mar. 2025

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

Rhymes for northwest

• abreast
• accessed
• addressed
• appressed
• armrest
• arrest
• assessed
• attest
• backrest
• behest
• bequest
• caressed

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