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

Catawba County is about a 45-mile drive northwest from uptown Charlotte. — Mark Price july 30, Charlotte Observer, 30 July 2026

An evacuation warning was issued northwest of Cazadero, including north of Fort Ross Road, south and west of Kind Ridge Road, and east of the Gualala River's south fork. — Richard Ramos, CBS News, 30 July 2026

Adjective

Weather prospects are also generally better in Australia’s interior and northwest than along the New South Wales coastline. — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

Kindig grew up in northwest Indiana and became a middle school humanities teacher. — Linda Girardi, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 2026

Noun

During his rally in Milford, northwest of Detroit, the crowd was adoring. — ABC News, 30 July 2026

On April 4 they were told to go to a house in unincorporated Miami-Dade, northwest of Cutler Bay, where they were again intensely beaten to the point where one of the victims was bleeding, investigators say. — Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 29 July 2026

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