northwest

1 of 3

adverb

north·​west nȯrth-ˈwest 

nautical

nȯr-ˈwest 

: to, toward, or in the northwest

northwest

2 of 3

adjective

1

: coming from the northwest

a northwest wind

2

: situated toward or at the northwest

the northwest corner

northwest

3 of 3

noun

1

a

: the general direction between north and west

b

: the point midway between the north and west compass points

2

Northwest : regions or countries lying to the northwest of a specified or implied point of orientation

Examples of northwest in a Sentence

Adverb

It's about 80 miles northwest of here.

I headed northwest on Route 1.

Adjective

the northwest corner of the building

Noun

A mountain range is in the northwest of the country.

We traveled throughout the Northwest.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

In Aleppo, which is 220 miles northwest of Damascus, a kind man sitting next to me at dinner casually recounted how he and his wife—both were jailed for opposing Assad during the revolution—had survived. — Lina Sergie Attar, Time, 6 Aug. 2026

The California Highway Patrol later told CBS LA that the boy and suspect were located on the 5 Freeway near Los Banos, a town about 70 miles northwest of Fresno in Merced County, where the man was taken into custody. — Austin Turner, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026

Adjective

Her roots in northwest Missouri run deep, as Mozingo Lake in Nodoway County carries her maiden name. — Sophie Lindberg july 27, Kansas City Star, 27 July 2026

Earlier this month, The 704 Way held a free shoe decorating popup at Archive CLT, a northwest Charlotte coffee shop. — Charlotte Observer, 27 July 2026

Noun

Whoever wins that race would represent parts of northwest and north-central Wyandotte County at the state level. — Sofi Zeman, Kansas City Star, 5 Aug. 2026

The Old Trails Fire sparked Saturday northwest of downtown Spokane, eventually jumping over the Spokane River and ripping through neighborhoods. — ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

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

Noun

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

Phrases Containing northwest

• north-northwest
• northwest by north
• northwest by west
• the northwest
• west-northwest

Rhymes for northwest

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

Kids Definition

northwest

1 of 3 adverb

north·​west nȯrth-ˈwest 

nautical

nȯr-ˈwest 

: to or toward the northwest

northwest

2 of 3 noun

1

: the direction between north and west

2

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

northwest

3 of 3 adjective

1

: coming from the northwest

a northwest wind

2

: placed or lying toward or at the northwest

the northwest corner

Geographical Definition

North West

geographical name

variants or Noordwes

ˌnȯrd-ˈwes 

ˌnȯrt-

province of the northern part of the Republic of South Africa bordering Botswana area 44,861 square miles (116,190 square kilometers), population 3,509,953