southwest

1 of 3

adverb

south·​west sau̇th-ˈwest 

nautical sau̇-ˈwest

: to, toward, or in the southwest

southwest

2 of 3

noun

1

a

: the general direction between south and west

b

: the point midway between the south and west compass points

2

Southwest : regions or countries lying to the southwest of a specified or implied point of orientation

especially : the southwestern part of the U.S.

southwest

3 of 3

adjective

1

: coming from the southwest

a southwest wind

2

: situated toward or at the southwest

the southwest corner

Examples of southwest in a Sentence

Adverb

It's about 80 miles southwest of here.

Noun

A mountain range is in the southwest of the country.

These plants grow in the Southwest.

Adjective

the southwest corner of the building

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

The boats collided about 14 miles southwest of mile marker 41, in a remote area between Interstate 75 and Tamiami Trail, near the Miccosukee Indian Reservation. — Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026

The ship will be deployed in the Gulf of Mexico about 22 nautical miles southwest of Destin-Fort Walton Beach in the second week of November, a spokesperson for Okaloosa County said on Friday. — Laura Fay, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026

Noun

The incident occurred early on Friday when the Royal Caribbean Cruises ship Odyssey of the Seas was sailing southwest of the island of Zakynthos, the coastguard said. — CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

More than $1 billion of the unreported activity involved national security and other high-priority risks, including Chinese money-laundering networks and activity tied to the southwest border, Treasury said in a press release. — Lee Ying Shan,sarah Min, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026

Adjective

The flash flood threat is expected to continue to unfold on Sunday, with the greatest risk to parts of Southern California, northwest Arizona, southern Nevada, and southwest Utah, where a level 3 of 4 threat for flash flooding is in place. — ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026

The National Weather Service said Southern California can expect increasing rain and strong, damaging waves along the coast early Sunday as Rachel moves through Baja and into the southwest United States. — Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

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

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing southwest

• south-southwest
• southwest by south
• southwest by west
• west-southwest

Rhymes for southwest

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

Kids Definition

southwest

1 of 3 adverb

south·​west sau̇th-ˈwest 

nautical sau̇-ˈwest

: to or toward the southwest

southwest

2 of 3 noun

1

: the direction between south and west

2

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

southwest

3 of 3 adjective

1

: coming from the southwest

a southwest wind

2

: situated toward or at the southwest

the southwest corner