northeast

1 of 3

adverb

north·​east nȯrth-ˈēst How to pronounce northeast (audio)
nautical
nȯr-ˈēst How to pronounce northeast (audio)
: 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
capitalized : 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adverb
Fishers is about a 20-mile drive northeast from downtown Indianapolis. Tj MacIas, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2025 The weather service said in a Facebook post its survey team found evidence an EF-1 tornado touched down northeast of DeGray Lake. Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Michael Sutton, a redevelopment coordinator of no relation to Fran Sutton, attributes the vastness of the land bank, particularly in northeast Wyandotte, to 20th century redlining and southward and westward flight of the county’s white, wealthy and middle class families. Kansas City Star, 18 Oct. 2025 What To Know Open-source ship-tracking data from the online service MarineTraffic shows the Nimitz sailing in the South China Sea near Singapore on a northeast course on Friday after operating in the Indian Ocean earlier in the week and transiting the Strait of Malacca. Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
Sunseekers know all about the attractions of Turkey’s Aegean and Mediterranean coastlines, but the Black Sea coast in the country’s northeast offers a milder climate, spectacular scenery, architectural treasures and adventure travel without the crowds. Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2025 Be sure to look east to northeast, where the Orion constellation rises. Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for northeast

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of northeast was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Northeast.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/northeast. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

northeast

1 of 3 adverb
north·​east nȯr-ˈthēst How to pronounce northeast (audio)
nautical
nȯ-ˈrēst How to pronounce northeast (audio)
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on northeast

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!