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 school is in the Village of Wheeling, a leafy suburb here northwest of Chicago, not far from Arlington Heights and Prospect Heights, where Kirk was born and grew up. —Michael Collins, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025

The earthquake's epicenter was situated approximately 4 miles northwest of The Geysers and occurred at a depth of just 2 miles. —Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 10 Sep. 2025

Adjective

Much of this damage was concentrated in northwest Milwaukee and in multiple municipalities around the city of Milwaukee, including Bayside, Brown Deer, Glendale, West Milwaukee and Wauwatosa. —Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 11 Sep. 2025

Take in vibrant views from Deadman's Hill Overlook Located around 10 miles south of Boyne Falls, Deadman's Hill Overlook and Trail Loop provides views of fall foliage in the Jordan River Valley in northwest Michigan. —Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 11 Sep. 2025

Noun

This grandiose opera house in Guangzhou—an hour northwest of Hong Kong by train—opened in 2010 using the plans for the Cardiff Bay Opera House in Wales, which was never built. —Mae Hamilton, AFAR Media, 9 Sep. 2025

Renaissance fairs date back to the early 1960s when what is believed to have been the first was staged in Agoura, northwest of Los Angeles. —David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Sep. 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