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

The earthquake was recorded about 16 miles southwest of Ackerly, which is roughly 60 miles northwest of Midland and 320 miles west of Dallas. —Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2025

Corby is a small town about two hours northwest of London that experienced a boom in the 1930s when a steel company relocated to the village and brought thousands of workers to the area, according to the BBC. —Lynsey Eidell, People.com, 28 Feb. 2025

Adjective

From south suburban Homewood to northwest suburban Rolling Meadows, more towns are raising money from red-light cameras, plaguing drivers who are just trying to get to work, go to the grocery or drive their kids to a basketball game, among other everyday activities. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2025

The Shoals Economic Development Authority offers $10,000 in cash to full-time remote employees who are willing to relocate to the Shoals community in northwest Alabama. —Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 1 Mar. 2025

Noun

Gardner is located about a 65-mile drive northwest from Boston. —Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2025

Windsor is about a 65-mile drive northwest from San Francisco. —Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 3 Mar. 2025

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

Rhymes for northwest

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

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