southwest

1 of 3

adverb

south·​west sau̇th-ˈwest 

nautical sau̇-ˈwest

: to, toward, or in the southwest

southwest

2 of 3

noun

1

a

: the general direction between south and west

b

: the point midway between the south and west compass points

2

Southwest : regions or countries lying to the southwest of a specified or implied point of orientation

especially : the southwestern part of the U.S.

southwest

3 of 3

adjective

1

: coming from the southwest

a southwest wind

2

: situated toward or at the southwest

the southwest corner

Examples of southwest in a Sentence

Adverb

It's about 80 miles southwest of here.

Noun

A mountain range is in the southwest of the country.

These plants grow in the Southwest.

Adjective

the southwest corner of the building

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Right behind it, and now Invest 94, is a tropical wave located several hundred miles southwest of the Cape Verde Islands with disorganized showers and thunderstorms. — Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026

While Bragança has a small regional airport (BGC), the nearest international airport is Porto’s Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport, which is about 130 miles southwest. — Dobrina Zhekova, Travel + Leisure, 13 Aug. 2026

Noun

With France experiencing its driest year ever, a new fire raced through woodlands overnight in the Landes region on the southwest coast. — ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026

The development is in Pinebluff, about a 75-mile drive southwest from downtown Raleigh. — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 13 Aug. 2026

Adjective

Hastings represents Illinois’ 19th District, which covers a swath of the south and southwest suburbs. — Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026

The National Weather Service has confirmed a total of six tornadoes touched down in the south and southwest suburbs on Tuesday, including an EF-1 tornado that touched down in the area of Homewood, Glenwood, and Thornton. — Sabrina Franza, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

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

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing southwest

• south-southwest
• southwest by south
• southwest by west
• west-southwest

Rhymes for southwest

• abreast
• accessed
• addressed
• appressed
• armrest
• arrest
• assessed
• attest
• backrest
• behest
• bequest
• caressed

Kids Definition

southwest

1 of 3 adverb

south·​west sau̇th-ˈwest 

nautical sau̇-ˈwest

: to or toward the southwest

southwest

2 of 3 noun

1

: the direction between south and west

2

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

southwest

3 of 3 adjective

1

: coming from the southwest

a southwest wind

2

: situated toward or at the southwest

the southwest corner