southwest

1 of 3

adverb

south·​west sau̇th-ˈwest 

 nautical  sau̇-ˈwest

: to, toward, or in the southwest

southwest

2 of 3

noun

1

a

: the general direction between south and west

b

: the point midway between the south and west compass points

2

capitalized : regions or countries lying to the southwest of a specified or implied point of orientation

especially : the southwestern part of the U.S.

southwest

3 of 3

adjective

1

: coming from the southwest

a southwest wind

2

: situated toward or at the southwest

the southwest corner

Examples of southwest in a Sentence

Adverb

It's about 80 miles southwest of here.

Noun

A mountain range is in the southwest of the country.

These plants grow in the Southwest.

Adjective

the southwest corner of the building

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

On Saturday, March 22, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster issued a state of emergency due to the Table Rock Fire in Pickens County, around 119 miles southwest of Charlotte, North Carolina, according to a press release published by the governor's office. —Julia Gomez, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2025

Homer, located on the Kenai Peninsula, sits roughly 220 miles southwest of Anchorage. —Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 24 Mar. 2025

Noun

Bronson is about a 95-mile drive southwest from Jacksonville. —Mark Price, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2025

Reeds is about a 270-mile drive southwest from St. Louis. —Kate Linderman, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2025

Adjective

Ars Video The cases now span the counties of Grant, Gray, Haskell, Kiowa, Morton, and Stevens, all in the southwest corner of the state. —Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 26 Mar. 2025

The incident occurred overnight Sunday in a southwest Houston neighborhood, on the 3400 block of Barkers Crossing Avenue. —Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 25 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing southwest

• south-southwest
• southwest by south
• southwest by west
• west-southwest

Rhymes for southwest

• abreast
• accessed
• addressed
• appressed
• armrest
• arrest
• assessed
• attest
• backrest
• behest
• bequest
• caressed

Kids Definition

southwest

1 of 3 adverb

south·​west sau̇th-ˈwest 

 nautical  sau̇-ˈwest

: to or toward the southwest

southwest

2 of 3 noun

1

: the direction between south and west

2

capitalized : regions or countries southwest of a point that is mentioned or understood

southwest

3 of 3 adjective

1

: coming from the southwest

a southwest wind

2

: situated toward or at the southwest

the southwest corner