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

It’s located about 7 miles southeast of downtown Austin and is one of eight residential reentry centers in Texas. — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026

Polo was about 165 miles south of Zihuatanejo and 320 miles southeast of Manzanillo, the center reported. — Megan Janetsky, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026

Noun

Zelenskyy said Ukrainian special forces struck the Kuibyshev oil refinery in Samara, southeast of Moscow, and another refinery in the neighboring Bashkortostan region in overnight attacks. — Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026

McLean’s comments come days after the Washington Sun reported that a Nevada firm applied to build a 4-million-square-foot data center on public land near Blacks Creek Reservoir southeast of Boise. — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 23 Sep. 2026

Adjective

Teens in southeast Michigan go to school carrying with them far more than backpacks, books and water bottles. — Crystal Cederna, The Conversation, 25 Sep. 2026

North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey experienced some flooding Wednesday in coastal areas, including near rivers and creeks, with a few locations in southeast Virginia reaching major flood stage. — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 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