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

Acton, Massachusetts is about 30 miles northwest of Boston. —Anna Meiler, CBS News, 28 May 2026

The violent collision happened during the morning rush near the town of Buggenhout, about 20 miles northwest of Brussels, in what officials described as one of the country’s worst rail accidents in recent history. —Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 27 May 2026

Adjective

The Appalachian Regional Port opened eight years ago in Crandall in Georgia's northwest corner and serves the Southeast’s other freight rail titan, CSX. —Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 27 May 2026

But in his pizza journey, Portnoy stayed on Atlanta's northwest side hitting four spots in Chamblee, Marietta and Smyrna. —Irene Wright, USA Today, 26 May 2026

Noun

Gusty northwest winds pick-up heading into the afternoon, flushing out the humidity. —Cutter Martin, CBS News, 27 May 2026

Polsky, who represents southern Palm Beach and northwest Broward counties, would provide geographic balance to a gubernatorial ticket. —Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 26 May 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