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

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

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

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