northeast

1 of 3

adverb

north·​east nȯrth-ˈēst 

nautical

nȯr-ˈēst 

: to, toward, or in the northeast

northeast

2 of 3

adjective

1

: coming from the northeast

a northeast wind

2

: situated toward or at the northeast

the northeast corner

northeast

3 of 3

noun

1

a

: the general direction between north and east

b

: the point midway between the north and east compass points

2

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

Examples of northeast in a Sentence

Adverb

It's a few miles northeast of here.

We left the city and headed northeast.

Adjective

My office is in the northeast corner of the building.

Noun

A mountain range is in the northeast of the country.

Parts of the Northeast were hit hard by the storm.

I grew up in the Northeast.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Firefighters held the fire, which was burning in steep, rugged terrain northeast of Truckee in Nevada County, to 622 acres. — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Locust is about a 25-mile drive northeast from uptown Charlotte in Stanly County. — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 18 Sep. 2026

Adjective

Bass was leading in South Los Angeles and the Harbor region, 37% to 34%, but central Los Angeles as well as northeast and the east side of Los Angeles broke strongly for Raman. — Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026

The buck, an incredible nontypical photographed in velvet, was an open secret among locals and public-land hunters in western Wyoming and northeast Utah. — Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 23 Sep. 2026

Noun

Some birds find their sweet spot along the 2,000 miles of mountain ridges that flow southwest to northeast. — Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026

The storm, moving to the north-northeast at 18 mph, is forecast to continue weakening. — Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 8 Sep. 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 2

Noun

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

Phrases Containing northeast

• east-northeast
• northeast by east
• northeast by north
• north-northeast
• the northeast

Rhymes for northeast

• deceased
• decreased
• increased
• policed
• released
• southeast
• beast
• ceased
• creased
• east
• feast
• fleeced

Kids Definition

northeast

1 of 3 adverb

north·​east nȯr-ˈthēst 

nautical

nȯ-ˈrēst 

: to or toward the northeast

northeast

2 of 3 noun

1

: the direction between north and east

2

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

northeast

3 of 3 adjective

1

: placed or lying toward or at the northeast

the northeast corner

2

: coming from the northeast

a northeast wind