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

On Monday, three brothers, all under 10 years old, died after falling through the ice on a pond in Bonham, about 60 miles northeast of Dallas. —Elissa Jorgensen, Dallas Morning News, 29 Jan. 2026

Grandy is about a 195-mile drive northeast from downtown Raleigh. —Mark Price january 29, Charlotte Observer, 29 Jan. 2026

Adjective

His effort to halt new projects was dealt a fifth judicial defeat Monday after a judge ruled that construction could resume on a wind farm off the country’s northeast coast. —Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 4 Feb. 2026

Raybould said the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort in northeast Dallas — which spans the Esperanza neighborhood and the Woodmeadow Parkway and Ferguson Road area — has helped reduce crime. —Chase Rogers, Dallas Morning News, 3 Feb. 2026

Noun

As temperatures in Kyiv are expected to plunge to minus-26 degrees Celsius beginning Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is moving to strengthen short-range air defenses against drones to protect frontline cities in the south and northeast. —Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 30 Jan. 2026

The end of the truce came as government forces had been sending reinforcements to Syria’s northeast. —Ghaith Alsayed, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 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