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

Forecasters predict that the system will move northwest as the week progresses. —Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 June 2025

Dozens of farmworkers were arrested after uniformed agents fanned out on farms northwest of Los Angeles in Ventura County, which is known for growing strawberries, lemons and avocados. —Aamer Madhani, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2025

Adjective

Rain is set to begin on Wednesday night, AccuWeather reported, and also will move in a northwest direction with the storm. —Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 June 2025

Meet the Sámi, an Indigenous community still thriving in the Sápmi region, which today encompasses Norway, Sweden, Finland, and northwest Russia. —Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 18 June 2025

Noun

Bloomfield Hills is about a 25-mile drive northwest from Detroit. —Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 19 June 2025

The lucky lottery winner bought his tickets at a liquor store in Hagerstown, about a 75-mile drive northwest from Baltimore, lottery officials said. —Natalie Demaree, Miami Herald, 18 June 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