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

Their Durham campus is 25 miles northwest of host site Raleigh. —Jack Magruder, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025

The weather service's office that covers Birmingham said at 4:18 p.m. CT that one of the vortexes formed and crossed near Highway 69 in northeastern Tuscaloosa County and was moving toward the historic settlement of Gorgas, which is about 35 miles northwest of the city. —Phil Helsel, NBC News, 16 Mar. 2025

Adjective

In Franklin Township, about 30 miles northwest, two school buses collided around 8 a.m., the local police department said in a Facebook post. —Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2025

Winds are forecasted to be northwest 5 to 15 mph with gusts up to 35 mph and humidity as low as 15%. —Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 26 Mar. 2025

Noun

The ranch is in Spicewood, about a 35-mile drive northwest from Austin. —Tj MacIas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Mar. 2025

Banner Elk is about a 120-mile drive northwest from Charlotte. —Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 14 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