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

Southeast : 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 epicenter was roughly 11 miles southeast of Silver Springs, at a depth of 7 miles. —Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 20 Apr. 2026

New Glenn’s first stage continued a downrange parabolic arc, briefly soaring into space before guiding itself toward Blue Origin’s landing platform in the Atlantic Ocean nearly 400 miles southeast of Cape Canaveral. —Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 19 Apr. 2026

Noun

Winds will be out of the southeast at 5 to 10 mph. —Steven Sosna, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026

Celeste was reported missing in 2024 from Lake Elsinore, southeast of Los Angeles, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office previously said. —Andrew Blankstein, NBC news, 20 Apr. 2026

Adjective

In southeast Georgia, the fast-moving Brantley County fire was threatening more homes Wednesday after destroying 47 a day earlier, according to Joey Cason, the county manager. —Jeff Martin, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026

Marine traffic data showed it in the Gulf of Oman, outside the Strait of Hormuz, on April 10, traveling southeast. —Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 22 Apr. 2026

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