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

It is located about 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia in Bristol Township. —Danny Freeman, CNN Money, 23 Dec. 2025

Melodee's disappearance stirred concern among some in her community of Vandenberg Village, about 160 miles northwest of Los Angeles. —Dennis Romero, NBC news, 23 Dec. 2025

Adjective

Abuja, Nigeria — A day after part of a missile fired by the United States hit their village, landing just meters from its only medical facility, the villagers of Jabo in northwest Nigeria are in a state of shock and confusion. —Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 27 Dec. 2025

South wind around 10 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. —Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 26 Dec. 2025

Noun

There, the Windy Gap Reservoir impounds the river in a broad mountain valley near Granby, northwest of the ski town of Winter Park. —Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 15 Dec. 2025

By Saturday, 5-9 inches of snow is expected to be on the ground in the UP and northwest areas, with Kalkaska seeing 9 inches; South Boardman getting 8 inches; and Traverse City seeing 7 inches. —Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 10 Dec. 2025

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