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 girl, 10-year-old Skylar Beach, was reported missing out of Hamlin, about 46 miles northwest of Abilene, according to officials searching for the girl. —Saleen Martin, USA Today, 2 May 2025

The nearly 6-mile deep quake hit 4 miles northwest of Yountville at 4:41 a.m., according to the USGS. —Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 29 Apr. 2025

Adjective

Pick up a bottle at their tasting room in northwest Portland or order to ship from the Freeland Spirits online store. —Lanee Lee, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025

North Texas, southeast Oklahoma, southwest Arkansas and northwest Louisiana were all at an enhanced risk for tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds, according to the Storm Prediction Center. —Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 1 May 2025

Noun

Fort Smith is about a 160-mile drive northwest from Little Rock. —Kate Linderman, Kansas City Star, 30 Apr. 2025

Boger City is about a 40-mile drive northwest from uptown Charlotte. —Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 30 Apr. 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