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

capitalized : 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

Washington State Patrol issued a statewide alert for the girls on May 31, and following a search, a Chelan County Sheriff's Office deputy found their father's white 2017 GMC Sierra truck near Rock Island Campground, about 40 miles northwest of Wenatchee. —Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 26 Sep. 2025

The system, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, is moving northwest at 10 mph. —Miami Herald Hurricane Bot, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025

Adjective

The center is northwest of Victorville. —Ryanne Mena, Oc Register, 24 Sep. 2025

Much of this damage was concentrated in northwest Milwaukee and in multiple municipalities around the city of Milwaukee, including West Allis, Bayside, Brown Deer, Glendale and Wauwatosa. —Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 23 Sep. 2025

Noun

The hurricane is moving to the north-northwest at 10 mph, with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph. —Miami Herald Hurricane Bot, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2025

The storm sits about 320 miles southeast of Bermuda and is moving toward the north-northwest at about 10 mph, according to forecasters. —James Powel, USA Today, 21 Sep. 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