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

Elsewhere in Utah, evacuations were in place for several small communities southwest of Salt Lake City, including Eureka, with a population less than 1,000, and the Vernon Reservoir area. — Ty Oneil, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2026

The location where the crash occurred, on Porche Prairie Avenue about several miles southwest of Mendon, was an uncontrolled railroad crossing. — The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 25 June 2026

Noun

Lee said the southwest will ​host major ⁠chip production clusters, drawing on abundant, underused power. — CNN Money, 29 June 2026

The Cottonwood fire in Utah's southwest has burned more than 93,000 acres as of June 28, according to the Forest Service, while the Wild Goose Fire in the center of the state has burned more than 10,000 acres. — James Powel, USA Today, 28 June 2026

Adjective

The recovered gun was previously reported stolen in southwest suburban Bedford Park. — Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026

In Colorado, the southwest corner of the state was under a red flag warning issued by the National Weather Service until Monday, due to gusty winds and low relative humidity. — ABC News, 21 June 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