northwest

1 of 3

adverb

north·​west nȯrth-ˈwest 

nautical

nȯr-ˈwest 

: to, toward, or in the northwest

northwest

2 of 3

adjective

1

: coming from the northwest

a northwest wind

2

: situated toward or at the northwest

the northwest corner

northwest

3 of 3

noun

1

a

: the general direction between north and west

b

: the point midway between the north and west compass points

2

Northwest : regions or countries lying to the northwest of a specified or implied point of orientation

Examples of northwest in a Sentence

Adverb

It's about 80 miles northwest of here.

I headed northwest on Route 1.

Adjective

the northwest corner of the building

Noun

A mountain range is in the northwest of the country.

We traveled throughout the Northwest.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

The earlier laser firing was done by the CBP near Fort Bliss, about 50 miles northwest, and prompted the FAA to shut down air traffic at El Paso airport and the surrounding area. —Mosheh Gains, NBC news, 27 Feb. 2026

In August 2024, about 1,100 pigs were killed in Versailles, a village about 50 miles northwest of Dayton, Ohio, according to data from the nonprofit Animal Welfare Institute. —Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 27 Feb. 2026

Adjective

The bill contains Indiana's financial incentive package for attracting the Chicago Bears to northwest Indiana. —Kaitlin Lange, IndyStar, 27 Feb. 2026

The amounts awarded by a Multnomah County Circuit Court jury Wednesday were to 16 victims of the Santiam Canyon fire in northwest Oregon. —ABC News, 26 Feb. 2026

Noun

The airport area is generally located southeast of the John Wayne Airport and bound by Campus Drive to the northeast and northwest, Jamboree Road to the southeast, and Bristol Street to the southwest. —Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 26 Feb. 2026

Largest on northwest facing beaches. —Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 23 Feb. 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 1

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing northwest

• north-northwest
• northwest by north
• northwest by west
• the northwest
• west-northwest

Rhymes for northwest

• abreast
• accessed
• addressed
• appressed
• armrest
• arrest
• assessed
• attest
• backrest
• behest
• bequest
• caressed

Kids Definition

northwest

1 of 3 adverb

north·​west nȯrth-ˈwest 

nautical

nȯr-ˈwest 

: to or toward the northwest

northwest

2 of 3 noun

1

: the direction between north and west

2

capitalized : the regions or countries northwest of a point that is mentioned or understood

northwest

3 of 3 adjective

1

: coming from the northwest

a northwest wind

2

: placed or lying toward or at the northwest

the northwest corner

Geographical Definition

North West

geographical name

variants or Noordwes

ˌnȯrd-ˈwes 

ˌnȯrt-

province of the northern part of the Republic of South Africa bordering Botswana area 44,861 square miles (116,190 square kilometers), population 3,509,953