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

Northwest : 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

According to the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center (WPC), the front will move from northwest to southeast through New York State and northern and central New England during early Thursday morning through the afternoon. —Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025

Barker Pass is about a 30-mile drive northwest from South Lake Tahoe on the western shore of Lake Tahoe. —Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 3 Dec. 2025

Adjective

If approved, the map would break up the state’s two Democratic districts by splitting Indianapolis into four districts and dividing northwest Indiana into two districts. —David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 5 Dec. 2025

The ripple marks extend in a northwest-southeast direction, which probably indicate how the dinosaurs and other animals moved along the paleocoastline, according to the paper. —Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 5 Dec. 2025

Noun

American engineering firm Parsons Corporation is leading phase two of the design and construction in the historic city of Diriyah, northwest of Saudi capital Riyadh, as part of a recent contract worth $56 million. —MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025

Morning lows will drop into the single digits across much of the state, with some spots in the far northwest dipping below zero. —Brandi D. Addison, IndyStar, 3 Dec. 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