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 shooting happened roughly two blocks northwest of the White House. —Arkansas Online, 27 Nov. 2025

Troops held down the shooter The shooting happened roughly two blocks northwest of the White House near a metro station. —Alanna Durkin Richer, Fortune, 27 Nov. 2025

Adjective

North central and northwest Illinois, as well as much of Iowa are expected by the NWS to see heavy snow and snow accumulations of around 10 inches, with up to 14 inches possible, according to the NWS. —Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2025

Snow totals could eclipse the one-foot mark in parts of eastern Iowa — including Cedar Rapids — and far northwest Illinois. —Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 28 Nov. 2025

Noun

Areas in the north-northwest wind snow belts of the western Upper Peninsula could see 12 inches or more, with some spots possibly picking up 2 to 3 feet before the holiday ends. —Brandi D. Addison, Freep.com, 25 Nov. 2025

Gusty northwest winds return Tuesday, bringing in much colder weather for the rest of the week. —Joseph Dames, CBS News, 21 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 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