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

Evansville is about 180 miles southwest of Indianapolis. —David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 10 Dec. 2025

How to Get There San Diego is about 120 miles south of Los Angeles and about 85 miles southwest of Palm Springs. —Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 7 Dec. 2025

Noun

The verdict came after nearly two weeks of testimony in Norfolk County Superior Court, southwest of Boston. —Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 15 Dec. 2025

Maxton is about a 105-mile drive southwest from Raleigh. —Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 15 Dec. 2025

Adjective

Rain, snow and wind on the West Coast Rain, wind and some snow will rock the Northwest Friday, as a lingering system on the West Coast starts to shift south, dropping an additional 1 to 4 inches of rain across western Oregon, southwest Washington and northwest California. —Mason Leath, ABC News, 19 Dec. 2025

After a season with the Princeton WhistlePigs in the Appalachian League, Jenks returned to the Chicago area and became manager of the Windy City Thunderbolts, an Frontier League team based in southwest suburban Crestwood. —Adam Harrington, CBS News, 18 Dec. 2025

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