southerly

adjective or adverb south·er·ly \ ˈsə-t͟hər-lē \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

Definition of southerly

1 : situated toward or belonging to the south

the southerly shore of the lake

2 : coming from the south

a southerly wind

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Recent Examples of southerly from the Web

The weather will improve after that as the mercury rises to around 60 on Wednesday and reaches the 70s for the first time this year as brisk southerly winds push a warm front north of the city.

— tom skilling, chicagotribune.com, "More snow, then a brief spring fling," 8 Apr. 2018
And birds are more likely to continue their journeys when warm air signals an incoming, southerly tailwind.

— erik stokstad, Science | AAAS, "Migration forecasts could help prevent wind turbines and buildings from killing millions of birds," 5 Apr. 2018
Swathes of Greece have been shrouded in haze as persistent southerly winds have carried waves of dust from the African continent across the Mediterranean.

— Washington Post, "Haze of African dust shrouds parts of Greece," 26 Mar. 2018
Matagorda - Tides have swelled with southerly winds, and back lakes are filling with water.

— bink grimes, Houston Chronicle, "Outdoors report: March 10," 9 Mar. 2018
The number of beds will be reduced to 195, but over about 120,000 square feet, with the demolition and rebuilding of the southerly building and heavy remodeling of the northern wing.

— hillary davis, latimes.com, "Major upgrades planned for Newport Beach senior complex," 9 Mar. 2018
Such marks the southerly edge of Dragonland, 260 acres of scrubland heath.

— michael paterniti, GQ, "Dragonman, the Man Who Sells “People-Hunting Guns”," 7 Mar. 2018
The southerly route, almost unheard of, would evade American missile defenses.

— w.j. hennigan, Time, "Russia Unveiled a New Arsenal of Nuclear Weapons. Should You Be Scared?," 2 Mar. 2018
The wedge tends to erode in a complex manner; with strong, southerly winds (warmer air arriving from the south), the cold pool is eroded first on its southern and eastern flanks.

— jeff halverson, Washington Post, "Your primer to understanding Mid-Atlantic cold air damming and ‘the wedge’," 7 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'southerly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of southerly

³south + -erly (as in easterly)

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1550

in the meaning defined at sense 2

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southerly

noun

Definition of southerly

plural southerlies

: a wind from the south

First Known Use of southerly

1837

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

SOUTHERLY Defined for English Language Learners

southerly

adjective

Definition of southerly for English Language Learners

: located in or moving toward the south
: blowing from the south

SOUTHERLY Defined for Kids

southerly

adjective or adverb south·er·ly \ ˈsə-t͟hər-lē \

Definition of southerly for Students

1 : from the south

a southerly wind

2 : toward the south

a southerly shore

They sailed southerly.

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Definition of southerly

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southerly

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southerly

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southerly

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southerly

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