northwest

1 of 3

adverb

north·​west nȯrth-ˈwest How to pronounce northwest (audio)
nautical
nȯr-ˈwest How to pronounce northwest (audio)
: 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
capitalized : 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 property, near Kristy-Bob Lane and Manitou Drive in the Shoto area, was 3 miles northwest of where Elijah was originally reported missing. Alex Garner, Journal Sentinel, 13 Sep. 2024 Ocala is about 80 miles northwest of Orlando in central Florida. CBS News, 17 Aug. 2024
Adjective
Yeaton-Masi particularly recommends the town, which is located in northwest Vermont between Burlington and Middlebury. Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 15 Sep. 2024 Zone 4 encompasses part of the city's northwest side, while Zone 5 encompasses part of the near-southwest side. Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 13 Sep. 2024
Noun
The Chinese government has put more than 1 million ethnic Uyghurs into mass internment camps in the country's northwest region, according to estimates by human rights groups. Russell Contreras, Axios, 19 Sep. 2024 Cobb, 29, was found dead on an interstate northwest of Winston-Salem on July 7, 1992, according to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. Tim Stelloh, NBC News, 10 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for northwest 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'northwest.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

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

Dictionary Entries Near northwest

northwardly

northwest

North West

Cite this Entry

“Northwest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/northwest. Accessed 5 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

northwest

1 of 3 adverb
north·​west nȯrth-ˈwest How to pronounce northwest (audio)
nautical
nȯr-ˈwest How to pronounce northwest (audio)
: 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 How to pronounce North West (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on northwest

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