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

Eureka is the largest coastal city between San Francisco and Portland, Oregon, and about 300 miles northwest of Sacramento. —Alaa Elassar, CNN, 14 Dec. 2024

The community is less than a mile northwest of Malibu Pier. —Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2024

Adjective

Susan Lane-Fournier’s remains were discovered on Nov. 29 alongside a rural highway in northwest Oregon, near vacation cabins and hiking trails in the area of Mount Hood. —Sean Neumann, People.com, 2 Dec. 2024

Riders in the nooks of northwest Indiana board and ride on ranches regionwide, including Merrillville, Gary, Schererville, Dyer and Hobart. —Tiffani Arnold, Chicago Tribune, 30 Nov. 2024

Noun

Bushra Bibi, Khan's wife, led thousands of protesters from Pakistan's northwest to march toward the capital Islamabad in a demand for his release. Khan, who has been imprisoned since August 2023, is facing over 150 legal cases, which his supporters claim are politically motivated. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2024

News Police say gunmen set off a bomb and opened fire on officers, killing 5 in Pakistan’s northwest as the nation votes ISLAMABADISLAMABAD — Police say gunmen set off a bomb and opened fire on officers, killing 5 in Pakistan’s northwest as the nation votes. —San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 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