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

Two more people on the ground also died in the crash that impacted an open field about 4,600 feet northwest of the departure end of the runway. —Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 25 May 2025

Severe weather could potentially spoil Memorial Day weekend plans in North Texas. Conditions on Friday, May 23, and Saturday, May 24, will be warm with storm chances staying northwest of the Metroplex, according to the National Weather Service Fort Worth. —Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 May 2025

Adjective

The first installment is about a group of Indigenous people in northwest Washington who were forced out of their homes. —Suzette Hackney, USA Today, 23 May 2025

Micah Hayes, from northwest Florida, knows this only too well and has spent much of the past two years trying to warn others about the dangers on social media. —Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 May 2025

Noun

Valley is about a 30-mile drive northwest from Columbus, Georgia. —Natalie Demaree, Miami Herald, 27 May 2025

Brighton is about a 50-mile drive northwest from Detroit. —Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 27 May 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