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

Lodi Township is around 4 miles northwest of Saline, Michigan, and around 50 miles southwest of Detroit. —Nick Lentz, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2026

About 50 miles southwest of Union Lake, the Cass County Sherriff’s Office said a 12-year-old boy died and several other people were injured during a possible tornado. —Dallas Morning News, 7 Mar. 2026

Noun

On Friday, that system split with one piece moving northeast before becoming an upper-level system of low pressure over the Great Lakes, while the other retrograded southwest toward Baja California. —Mary Wasson, Austin American Statesman, 7 Mar. 2026

Numerous reports of significant damage came from southwest of Three Rivers. —Nour Rahal, Freep.com, 7 Mar. 2026

Adjective

An armed robber stole $1,221 from a Wells Fargo branch in southwest Charlotte Thursday afternoon, according to a police report. —Charlotte Observer, 6 Mar. 2026

South southwest wind 5 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. —Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 6 Mar. 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