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

Inasmuch as an 18-year-old can be said to have grown up, Lamine did so here in Rocafonda, a struggling North African immigrant enclave a half hour northeast of Barcelona. —Jon Wertheim, CBS News, 1 Dec. 2025

The earthquake's epicenter was located roughly 6 miles northeast of Running Springs and occurred at a depth of just 3 miles. —Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 1 Dec. 2025

Adjective

The gang that abducted a group of young women in Nigeria's northeast state of Borno a week ago released the remaining 12 late Saturday, a local official told AFP. —CBS News, 30 Nov. 2025

Snow is, however, impacting ares in northwest, north central and northeast Missouri Saturday. —Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 29 Nov. 2025

Noun

Two years after he was hired to work for the state parks in 1981, he was assigned to Northern California, eventually becoming a senior archaeologist, managing cultural resources at more than 70 parks, from Del Norte County to Angel Island to Alturus in the far northeast. —Martha Ross, Mercury News, 23 Nov. 2025

Despite these large outlays of assistance, the extremist threat continued to grow in the country’s restive northeast, where Boko Haram has waged a 15-year insurgency that has left tens of thousands of people dead. —Alexander Noyes, Time, 15 Nov. 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