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.
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
Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 6 Dec. 2025
Highland Park is located southwest of New York City, and the median household income is more than $100,000, according to Census Reporter, which is substantially higher than the national average of $83,730.
—Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 6 Dec. 2025
Amanda Greenwood, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
Temperatures will reach around 30 degrees on Wednesday, but with a southwest wind gusting to around 25 miles per hour.
—Karen Carter, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
Sacbee.com, 5 Dec. 2025
Damar Village is a southwest Indianapolis neighborhood located in Decatur Township that provides affordable housing, including for those with developmental, behavioral and intellectual disabilities.
—Kelly Wilkinson, IndyStar, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for southwest
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Adverb
Its Bulyanhulu operation is located in northwest Tanzania, over 55 kilometers south of Lake Victoria and 150 km southwest of the city of Mwanza.
—Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 6 Dec. 2025
Highland Park is located southwest of New York City, and the median household income is more than $100,000, according to Census Reporter, which is substantially higher than the national average of $83,730.
—Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 6 Dec. 2025
Noun
Between 3 and 8 inches of snow were expected to fall across the southwest and northwest San Juan Mountains into Thursday.
—Amanda Greenwood, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
Temperatures will reach around 30 degrees on Wednesday, but with a southwest wind gusting to around 25 miles per hour.
—Karen Carter, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
Adjective
Health inspectors gave the gas station a yellow placard after cheese pepperoni, ranchero steak and southwest chicken tornadoes on the roller grill measured outside of the temperature range considered safe.
—Sacbee.com, 5 Dec. 2025
Damar Village is a southwest Indianapolis neighborhood located in Decatur Township that provides affordable housing, including for those with developmental, behavioral and intellectual disabilities.
—Kelly Wilkinson, IndyStar, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for southwest
Cite this Entry
“Southwest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/southwest. Accessed 10 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
southwest
1 of 3 adverb
south·west
sau̇th-ˈwest 
nautical sau̇-ˈwest
: to or toward the southwest
southwest
2 of 3 noun1
: the direction between south and west
2
capitalized
: regions or countries southwest of a point that is mentioned or understood
southwest
3 of 3 adjective1
: coming from the southwest
a southwest wind
2
: situated toward or at the southwest
the southwest corner
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