northwest

1 of 3

adverb

north·​west nȯrth-ˈwest How to pronounce northwest (audio)
nautical
nȯr-ˈwest How to pronounce northwest (audio)
: 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adverb
Born in Laurens, South Carolina, a small town 70 miles northwest of the state capital, Taylor showed his interest in music early. Jason Newman, Rolling Stone, 18 Oct. 2024 As of Saturday morning, Milton was centered 220 miles northeast of Veracruz, Mexico, and 365 miles northwest of Veracruz, Mexico. Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 5 Oct. 2024
Adjective
Breezy, with a northwest wind 13-20 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 21 Nov. 2024 Southwest winds of 6 to 14 mph will shift to northwest winds with gusts of up to 31 mph. Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 20 Nov. 2024
Noun
Bhutan’s official maps have lost a parcel of land to its northwest and the Menchuma valley and plateau in its northeast, according to Barnett. Simone McCarthy, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024 Russian forces also made gains southeast of Kupiansk and northwest of Kreminna, the ISW reported, with video released by Ukrainian forces showing them repelling a platoon-sized Russian mechanized assault in the Lyman direction. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for northwest 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of northwest was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near northwest

northwardly

northwest

North West

Cite this Entry

“Northwest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/northwest. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

northwest

1 of 3 adverb
north·​west nȯrth-ˈwest How to pronounce northwest (audio)
nautical
nȯr-ˈwest How to pronounce northwest (audio)
: 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 How to pronounce North West (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on northwest

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