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.
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
Arkansas Online, 22 Nov. 2025
The man from Grays Harbor County, about 78 miles southwest of Seattle, had a backyard flock of domestic poultry that had been exposed to wild birds, health officials said.
—CBS News, 22 Nov. 2025
Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 12 Nov. 2025
Gemini 9 was flying over Baja California, and Cernan could see the blue of the water against the green-brown spit of land and the rusty red surface of the desert southwest stretching in all directions.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 11 Nov. 2025
Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2025
Agents have been met by protesters while making arrests and at the DHS office in southwest Charlotte.
—Jeff A. Chamer, Charlotte Observer, 18 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for southwest
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Adverb
The 63 acres were traded for 15 acres southwest of the city.
—Arkansas Online, 22 Nov. 2025
The man from Grays Harbor County, about 78 miles southwest of Seattle, had a backyard flock of domestic poultry that had been exposed to wild birds, health officials said.
—CBS News, 22 Nov. 2025
Noun
Allen Park is about a 15-mile drive southwest from downtown Detroit.
—Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 12 Nov. 2025
Gemini 9 was flying over Baja California, and Cernan could see the blue of the water against the green-brown spit of land and the rusty red surface of the desert southwest stretching in all directions.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
Bethea Some thirty-five years ago, an attorney, whose clients included a captain of the Genovese crime family, decided to celebrate his lymphoma going into remission with an extravagant Christmas-light display at his home in southwest Brooklyn.
—Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2025
Agents have been met by protesters while making arrests and at the DHS office in southwest Charlotte.
—Jeff A. Chamer, Charlotte Observer, 18 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for southwest
Cite this Entry
“Southwest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/southwest. Accessed 24 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
southwest
1 of 3 adverb
south·west
sau̇th-ˈwest 
nautical sau̇-ˈwest
: to or toward the southwest
southwest
2 of 3 noun1
: the direction between south and west
2
capitalized
: regions or countries southwest of a point that is mentioned or understood
southwest
3 of 3 adjective1
: coming from the southwest
a southwest wind
2
: situated toward or at the southwest
the southwest corner
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