southeast

1 of 3

adverb

south·​east sau̇th-ˈēst 

nautical sau̇-ˈēst

: to, toward, or in the southeast

southeast

2 of 3

noun

1

a

: the general direction between south and east

b

: the point midway between the south and east compass points

2

Southeast : regions or countries lying to the southeast of a specified or implied point of orientation

southeast

3 of 3

adjective

1

: coming from the southeast

a southeast wind

2

: situated toward or at the southeast

the southeast corner

Examples of southeast in a Sentence

Adverb

It's a few miles southeast of here.

Noun

A mountain range is in the southeast of the country.

Rain is moving into the Southeast.

He grew up in the Southeast.

Adjective

My office is in the southeast corner of the building.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

The earthquake struck at a depth of just 2 miles, with its epicenter roughly 2 miles southeast of Ontario. —Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 14 Feb. 2026

Hazard is located about three hours or 200 miles southeast of Louisville. —Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 9 Feb. 2026

Noun

Expect clouds giving way to sunshine and just a gentle breeze out of the southeast at 5 to 10 mph. —Steven Sosna, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026

Granted, the big game was about an hour southeast in Santa Clara, but the Super Bowl fan experience and media row were right in the city at the Moscone Center, and McAfee was impressed with his surroundings. —Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 10 Feb. 2026

Adjective

Another storm could kick up winds and increase fire danger to critical conditions, the second-highest level, tomorrow afternoon in the southern High Plains, from eastern New Mexico and West Texas into the Oklahoma Panhandle, southwest Kansas and southeast Colorado. —Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026

The first floor will have retail space and a restaurant on the southeast corner. —Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing southeast

• east-southeast
• southeast by east
• southeast by south
• south-southeast

Rhymes for southeast

• deceased
• decreased
• increased
• northeast
• policed
• released
• beast
• ceased
• creased
• east
• feast
• fleeced

Kids Definition

southeast

1 of 3 adverb

south·​east sau̇-ˈthēst 

nautical sau̇-ˈēst

: to or toward the southeast

southeast

2 of 3 noun

1

: the direction between south and east

2

capitalized : regions or countries southeast of a point that is mentioned or understood

southeast

3 of 3 adjective

1

: situated toward or at the southeast

the southeast corner

2

: coming from the southeast

a southeast wind