north

1 of 3

adjective

: situated toward or at the north

the north entrance

: coming from the north

a north wind

north

3 of 3

noun

: the direction of the north terrestrial pole : the direction to the left of one facing east

: the compass point directly opposite to south

capitalized

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

: the industrially and economically developed nations of the world compare south sense 5

often capitalized

: the one of four positions at 90-degree intervals that lies to the north or at the top of a diagram

: a person occupying this position in the course of a specified activity (such as the game of bridge)

Example Sentences

Adverb Turn north onto Elm Street. It's a few miles north of here. The bird is found as far north as Canada. Noun The wind is coming from the north. The birds migrate from the North. Parts of the North were hit hard by the storm. I grew up in the North. The American Civil War was between the North and the South. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Aerial searches conducted by the Massachusetts State Police Air Wing and the Coast Guard stretched along the Boston coastline, as far south as Hull and as far north as Deer Island. —

Danielle Wallace, Fox News, 16 May 2023 Due to currents in the area, emergency responders sent helicopters as far south as Hull and as far north as Deer Island. —

Emily Sweeney, BostonGlobe.com, 15 May 2023 Unfortunately, his power doesn’t seem to have made the trip north from TigerTown; the 23-year-old is slugging just .357 with 41 strikeouts (and 20 walks) in 167 plate appearances for the Mud Hens. —

Ryan Ford, Detroit Free Press, 15 May 2023 Two hours north is another product under development: an industrial oven that bakes farm waste — like manure and straw — so that its carbon content can’t escape into the atmosphere and form carbon dioxide. —

Stanley Reed, New York Times, 13 May 2023 This year, one fan club chartered a train from London to Liverpool for die-hard supporters who blasted their favorite songs on the 2½-hour journey north from Britain’s capital. —

Andrew Jones, NBC News, 13 May 2023 In February, about two months after Martin’s birds were taken, another break-in unfolded 90 miles north in Calabasas. —

Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2023 The cyclist was crossing Airport Heights westbound at DeBarr when the SUV driver, who was also headed west, turned right to go north on Airport Heights, according to a police update. —

Anchorage Daily News, 10 May 2023 Invasive carp are swimming north through American waterways and wreaking havoc on ecosystems. —

Carolyn Hagler, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 May 2023

Adjective

With the exception of the far north part of the state, most of Arkansas is at a slight risk for severe weather, the weather service said. —

Remington Miller, Arkansas Online, 17 May 2023 Treat young swimmers to The Cove at the Lakefront in Little Elm For families and visitors in north Dallas looking for an indoor water park option catering to younger kids, The Cove at the Lakefront in Little Elm is an excellent option. —

Gabi De La Rosa, Chron, 16 May 2023 North Korean missiles To South Korea, the threat of the isolationist state to its north is the most existential. —

Sung-yoon Lee, The Conversation, 25 Apr. 2023 The least expensive restaurant was also pretty consistent, with north Heights fave Teotihuacan charging $19 for a half pound of chicken, $23 each for half a pound of beef or combo, and $43 for a full pound of beef or combo fajitas. —

Brittanie Shey, Chron, 10 May 2023 The pair was out to dinner Friday, their friends say, and had returned to a north Indianapolis neighborhood when their lives were taken. —

Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 10 May 2023 Parts of Alabama were dealing with rain and storms on Monday morning, but there has been no severe weather so far today, although there were a few stronger storms overnight in north Alabama. —

Leigh Morgan, al, 8 May 2023 As with many of her projects, one of her key contributions was based on common sense — in particular, the realization that no one in an airport is going to know which direction is north, south, east or west, especially after navigating the tangle of roads leading to the terminals. —

Neil Genzlinger, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2023 Investigator's later found the flight path of Thornton's plane had crossed north Georgia, where the bear had been found with dozens of open containers with traces of cocaine surrounding him. —

Rae Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 13 Mar. 2023

Noun

The latest news from the T includes shuttle buses replacing Red Line service north and southbound between JFK/UMass and Braintree stations weekday evenings through the end of May, according to the MBTA. —

Daniel Kool, BostonGlobe.com, 17 May 2023 Aiming for their 11th consecutive playoff berth, the Dodgers have shaken off an uninspired start to maintain their usual perches: Firmly atop the National League West and heading north in USA TODAY Sports’ power rankings. —

Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 15 May 2023 While driving north, the driver of the sedan crossed over into the southbound lane and struck the southbound SUV head-on. —

Olivia Alexander, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2023 Its swift water team was on the scene within 20 minutes and helped residents in the 100 block of the private, dead-end road off of Highway 7 north get to higher ground. —

David Showers, Lance Brownfield/hot Springs Sentinel-record, Arkansas Online, 12 May 2023 Storms on Wednesday caused flash flooding in parts of northwest Alabama and knocked down a few trees and generated hail reports for other parts of north and central Alabama. —

Leigh Morgan, al, 11 May 2023 The shake table has recently been upgraded to move in 3D at six degrees of freedom, including east to west, north to south, up and down, and roll pitch and yaw, according to the university. —

Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 10 May 2023 No More, her 1971 debut, which was inspired by living with fellow artists in a commune in Hampstead, north London, a place where Cat Stevens (later Yusuf Islam), Marc Bolan and Elton John would drop by. —

Lars Brandle, Billboard, 4 May 2023 The farther north a ship traveled, the worse the conditions tended to get, particularly in winter. —

Longreads, 4 May 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'north.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.