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

The city of Zaporizhzhia, about 275 miles southeast of Kyiv, is held by Ukraine and attacks have occurred around the plant as the front line is close. —Arkansas Online, 28 Sep. 2025

Tropical Storm Imelda is in the Atlantic Ocean, 95 miles west-northwest of the Central Bahamas and 370 miles southeast of Cape Canaveral Florida. —Miami Herald Hurricane Bot, Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2025

Noun

The prehistoric site lies nine miles west of Évora, the capital of the Alentejo region southeast of Lisbon. —Anna Mazurek, AFAR Media, 26 Sep. 2025

Moreover, winds from the southeast at 6 km/h may challenge players’ speed control on approach shots and putts. —Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025

Adjective

The coldest Halloween in southeast Michigan was 1988 when the temperature dropped to 20 degrees. —Melina Khan, Freep.com, 29 Sep. 2025

Storm total rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches with local maxima of 6 inches are expected through Tuesday across coastal South Carolina into southeast North Carolina. —Miami Herald Hurricane Bot, Miami Herald, 28 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