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 earthquake struck at a depth of 6 miles, with its epicenter approximately 8 miles northwest of Fillmore. —Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 11 Dec. 2025

Citizens will also install 53 miles of water mains, hence the letters sent to property owners northwest of Indianapolis, adding four new boosters and seven new storage tanks. —Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 10 Dec. 2025

Adjective

West northwest wind around 7 mph. —Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 12 Dec. 2025

West northwest wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. —Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 12 Dec. 2025

Noun

Vermont Orleans and eastern Franklin counties, and parts of central, northeast, northwest, and southern Vermont, might get between 3 and 7 inches of snow from Wednesday morning until Thursday morning—with the heaviest amounts expected to fall throughout Wednesday. —Amanda Greenwood, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025

The matter started in 2021 when a group of residents in Llano County, northwest of Austin, asked the county's library commissioner to remove from circulation 17 books that covered topics including transgender issues and slavery. —Brieanna J. Frank, USA Today, 8 Dec. 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