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

The 46-year-old is a native of Burlington, Wisconsin, about 30 miles southwest of Milwaukee. — Steven Rosenbaum, CBS News, 31 July 2026

The Category 3 hurricane had maximum sustained winds of 125 mph on the morning of July 28, and was centered about 530 miles southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, according to the hurricane center. — Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 28 July 2026

Noun

Colorado's monsoon pattern peaks during July and August as moisture from the southwest pushes northward into the Rockies. — Dave Aguilera, CBS News, 31 July 2026

The earthquake's epicenter was roughly 1 mile southwest of Walker and occurred at a depth of 3 miles. — Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 30 July 2026

Adjective

The ambient sound in his southwest Atlanta neighborhood was much quieter. — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 26 July 2026

In southwest France, 198,000 people have been evacuated across Gironde, Landes, Var and Tarn regions, with the majority of evacuations from Gironde, according to French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez. — Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 25 July 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