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

The earthquake's epicenter was approximately 11 miles northeast of Upper Lake and occurred at a depth of 2 miles. —Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 31 May 2026

Göbeklitepe, 14 miles northeast of the old town, is a Neolithic site from the Pre-Pottery period of around 9,600 to 8,200 BCE. —Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 30 May 2026

Adjective

The largest project currently in the works, a $150 billion hyperscale AI factory from Dutch company Nebius, is under construction on 400 acres in northeast Independence and will be sustained by its own power plant. —Ilana Arougheti june 1, Kansas City Star, 1 June 2026

Rivera led the Miskito people, who live along Nicaragua’s northeast coast and have long fought to retain their lands. —ABC News, 31 May 2026

Noun

The incident occurred amid a wind advisory issued for portions of southwest Idaho and northeast, according to the National Weather Service. —Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 17 May 2026

Two men were killed in Mytishchi, to Moscow’s northeast, when drone debris fell on a house under construction, Sobyanin said, adding that a total of 12 people were injured in Moscow, including construction workers at an oil refinery. —Kosta Gak, CNN Money, 17 May 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