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

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

Police were notified Monday of a threat to shoot up a polling location on Detroit's northwest side, Detroit Police confirmed to the Free Press. —Andrea May Sahouri, Detroit Free Press, 4 Nov. 2024

Located in northwest Montana, the park is a year-round destination where visitors can hike, swim, see fall foliage, and cross-country ski — all while admiring the mountain views. —Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 10 Oct. 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

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

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