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

Southwest : 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

The area where the shooting was initially reported is about 4 miles southwest of the hospital in Midland. —Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 13 June 2026

Moneta is located about 40 miles southwest of Lynchburg. —Kierra Frazier, CBS News, 13 June 2026

Noun

Ogden Avenue used to run northeast-southwest through Old Town and into Cabrini-Green, and then rose over a viaduct above Halsted and Division streets and Goose Island before returning to ground level at Sangamon Street in West Town. —Adam Harrington, CBS News, 14 June 2026

Over the last week, the greatest threat of dangerous rip currents and sneaker waves has been on the beaches facing south or southwest, officials said. —Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2026

Adjective

Israel then hit a petrochemical plant in southwest Iran, prompting another wave of Iranian missile launches. —Christopher Cann, USA Today, 8 June 2026

Stagg was from Roehampton and living in southwest London. —Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 7 June 2026

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