southeast

1 of 3

adverb

south·​east sau̇th-ˈēst How to pronounce southeast (audio)
 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
capitalized : 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adverb
The center of the hurricane is located 125 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica and the storm is moving at just 3 mph. Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025 How to Get There The Emerald Cave is located southeast of Las Vegas in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2025
Noun
Winds will be out of the southeast at 5 to 10 mph, and temperatures will be in the lower 50s. Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2025 Destructive winds impacted much of the area on Wednesday, with gusts reaching 81 mph (130 kph) southeast of Melbourne, the outlet reported. Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
There is a potential for significant storm surge along the southeast coast of Cuba late Tuesday or Wednesday. Miami Herald Hurricane Bot, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2025 Storm surge along Jamaica’s southern coast could reach 9 to 13 feet, while Cuba’s southeast coast may see surges of 6 to 9 feet. Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for southeast

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of southeast was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Southeast.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/southeast. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

southeast

1 of 3 adverb
south·​east sau̇-ˈthēst How to pronounce southeast (audio)
 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

More from Merriam-Webster on southeast

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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