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

That work is being done just southwest of the Crossroads, but part of that project includes additional funding for traffic calming in Crossroads neighborhoods. —Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 9 May 2025

Mustering into federal service on July 13, the regiment moved southwest, arriving in San Antonio on Aug. 28. —Arkansas Online, 3 May 2025

Noun

Long-standing records could fall across central and southwest Texas, including in Austin and San Antonio, as temperatures reach highs that would be unusual for mid-summer, let alone early-to-mid May. —Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 13 May 2025

Hanover is about a 120-mile drive southwest from Philadelphia. —Kate Linderman, Miami Herald, 13 May 2025

Adjective

Childhood non-communicable diseases too often go undetected and untreated Kelly sits up from her bed at Kadoma General Hospital in southwest Zimbabwe and greets her visitors with a broad smile. —Cynthia Tully, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025

Nair notes that back in 2013, Goa, located on the southwest coast of India, had over 513,000 international arrivals, according to Ministry of Tourism data. —Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 May 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