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

capitalized : 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

That was the case with the Rapidan Dam, roughly 90 miles southwest of the Twin Cities. —Kristoffer Tigue, WIRED, 13 July 2024

The young girl, who has autism and was identified only as Eva, was initially reported missing out of Sutton, about 50 miles southwest of Boston, on Thursday. —Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 12 July 2024

Noun

The researchers used the imagery to calculate the density of the litter in windrow areas, identifying hot spots near Algeria, Libya, southwest Italy and the northern Adriatic Sea. —Erin Blakemore, Washington Post, 14 July 2024

The incident occurred at the stadium’s southwest gate as fans, many wearing Colombia’s yellow and red colors and Argentina’s blue and white colors, ran through police and security guards before being tackled or otherwise apprehended. —David Matthews, New York Daily News, 14 July 2024

Adjective

Keith Edmund Gavin, 64, is set to receive a lethal injection at a prison in southwest Alabama. —CBS News, 18 July 2024

Middletown sits in southwest Ohio's Butler and Warren counties, both of which went for Trump in 2020. —Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 16 July 2024

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

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