southeast

1 of 3

adverb

south·​east sau̇th-ˈēst 

 nautical  sau̇-ˈēst

: to, toward, or in the southeast

southeast

2 of 3

noun

1

a

: the general direction between south and east

b

: the point midway between the south and east compass points

2

capitalized : regions or countries lying to the southeast of a specified or implied point of orientation

southeast

3 of 3

adjective

1

: coming from the southeast

a southeast wind

2

: situated toward or at the southeast

the southeast corner

Examples of southeast in a Sentence

Adverb

It's a few miles southeast of here.

Noun

A mountain range is in the southeast of the country.

Rain is moving into the Southeast.

He grew up in the Southeast.

Adjective

My office is in the southeast corner of the building.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Oskaloosa is about a 60-mile drive southeast from Des Moines. —Tj MacIas, Kansas City Star, 12 Sep. 2025

The academy, which has a total undergraduate student enrollment of about 4,400, is located in downtown Annapolis, about 30 miles southeast of Baltimore. —Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025

Noun

Of the three visible planets visible to the naked eye, Venus will shine low in the east, Jupiter in the east-southeast and Saturn in the west-southwest. —Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025

Linn County is about a 110-mile drive southeast of Portland. —Paloma Chavez, Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 2025

Adjective

Their match marked the first tour-level meeting between two players from different countries in southeast Asia since the 2004 Athens Olympics. —Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025

The workers traveled by bus from a detention center in southeast Georgia to Atlanta earlier in the day for their flight, which is expected to land in South Korea on Friday afternoon. —Preston Fore, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

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

Phrases Containing southeast

• east-southeast
• southeast by east
• southeast by south
• south-southeast

Rhymes for southeast

• deceased
• decreased
• increased
• northeast
• policed
• released
• beast
• ceased
• creased
• east
• feast
• fleeced

Kids Definition

southeast

1 of 3 adverb

south·​east sau̇-ˈthēst 

 nautical  sau̇-ˈēst

: to or toward the southeast

southeast

2 of 3 noun

1

: the direction between south and east

2

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

southeast

3 of 3 adjective

1

: situated toward or at the southeast

the southeast corner

2

: coming from the southeast

a southeast wind