southwest

adverb south·west \ sau̇th-ˈwest , naut sau̇-ˈwest \

|Updated on: 20 Jun 2018

Examples: southwest in a Sentence

Definition of southwest

: to, toward, or in the southwest

See southwest defined for English-language learners

See southwest defined for kids

Examples of southwest in a Sentence

It's about 80 miles southwest of here.

Recent Examples of southwest from the Web

Before the discovery of the baby's body, Mathis and Oakes were found in an apartment complex in Bronson, Florida, about 25 miles southwest of Gainesville.

— tiffini theisen, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Couple put baby's body in freezer, fled to Florida, authorities say," 6 June 2018
Maria and her three youngest children were shipped to a family detention center in Dilley, Texas -- about 70 miles southwest of San Antonio.

— rosa flores, CNN, "Mom and 4 children forced to separate after seeking asylum in US," 5 June 2018
One of the parkway's most popular tourist draws, the viaduct is 18 miles southwest of Blowing Rock and about 105 miles northwest of Charlotte.

— joe marusak, charlotteobserver, "NC mountain visitors warned of toppling trees, as part of Blue Ridge Parkway reopens," 4 June 2018
Next year’s event will be in April in Wadsworth, Ohio, about 37 miles southwest of Cleveland.

— chris erskine, latimes.com, "Geek out with your grad at these high-minded museums and events," 30 May 2018
Alberto is located just northwest of Cuba and about 165 miles southwest of Tampa.

— martin vassolo, miamiherald, "Alberto triggers tropical storm warnings along Florida coast | Miami Herald," 27 May 2018
On July 15, 2017, when a line of thunderstorms moved southwest across the Rim, the National Weather Service was watching.

— azcentral, "Into the water," 15 May 2018
The best part: It’s not overrun with tourists like Venice, Barcelona, or our Swiss neighbor Lucerne, just 32 miles southwest.

— adam h. graham, Condé Nast Traveler, "Plan a Trip to Zurich This Summer (Yes, Really)," 2 May 2018
Lowndes County sits southwest of Alabama’s capital city of Montgomery.

— michael harriot, The Root, "Lowndes County, Ala.: The Place God Forgot," 27 Apr. 2018

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

First Known Use of southwest

before 12th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

southwest

noun

Definition of southwest

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.

See southwest defined for English-language learners

Examples of southwest in a Sentence

A mountain range is in the southwest of the country.
These plants grow in the Southwest.

Recent Examples of southwest from the Web

Officials reported that the plane took off from South Jersey Regional Airport in Lumberton, about 10 miles southwest of the crash scene, and was en route to Hyannis, Mass.

— Philly.com, "2 dead, plane 'disintegrated' in Burlington County crash," 13 June 2018
Conrad and other coalition soldiers came under mortar and small-arms fire in Jubaland, about 217 miles southwest of Mogadishu, the Somali capital.

— bradford betz, Fox News, "Soldier killed in Somalia ID'd as 8-year Army veteran from Arizona," 10 June 2018
However, police said, Pogreba's credit card was used recently in Mauston, Wis., which is about 33 miles southwest of Preston.

— steven martinez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Manhunt continues as Eagle gunman breaks into relative's cabin in northwest Wisconsin, heads for Boundary Waters," 8 June 2018
The volcano is about 25 miles southwest of the capital, Guatemala City, and near the colonial city of Antigua.

— nicole chavez, CNN, "Guatemala volcano death toll rises as explosions ramp up," 6 June 2018
The volcano is located some 25 miles southwest of the capital Guatemala City and is close to the colonial city of Antigua, popular with tourists and known for its coffee plantations.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Volcano lava river runs into Guatemala village, killing at least 6," 4 June 2018
Subtropical storm Alberto has made its way north up the Gulf Coast and was centered about 30 miles southwest of Panama City, Florida at around 1 p.m. Monday (May 28), according to the National Hurricane Center.

— maria clark, NOLA.com, "Alberto nears the Florida panhandle, bringing rain, gusty winds: Update," 28 May 2018
Plainridge Park, a racetrack with 1,250 slots as well as electronic game tables 35 miles southwest of Boston, opened in 2015 with the nation’s first GameSense information center.

— marsha mercer, The Christian Science Monitor, "As sports betting expands, gambling addiction services fall behind," 18 May 2018
The city is roughly 72 miles southwest of McKinney.

— crystal hill, star-telegram, "‘Affluenza effect’ explains decision to reduce murder suspect’s bail, Texas lawyer says | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 11 May 2018

First Known Use of southwest

12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

southwest

adjective

Definition of southwest

1 : coming from the southwest

a southwest wind

2 : situated toward or at the southwest

the southwest corner

See southwest defined for English-language learners

Examples of southwest in a Sentence

the southwest corner of the building

Recent Examples of southwest from the Web

Construction on the first phase of a 33-acre park on the city’s southwest side, carrying a price tag of $10 million to $12 million, will begin next year, Naperville Park District officials said.

— gary gibula, Naperville Sun, "Naperville Park Board OKs plans for ambitious Southwest Community Park, with first phase open by 2020," 16 June 2018
Just not in a tourist mecca in the country’s southwest corner bordering Mexico that has a temperate summer climate and a rich history of hosting international soccer games.

— mark zeigler, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Why San Diego won't be a venue in the 2026 World Cup," 13 June 2018
The mysterious bone was found on a beach in Loch Ryan in southwest Scotland by Nic Coombey of local economic development and environmental group Solway Firth Partnership.

— james rogers, Fox News, "Extremely rare woolly mammoth bone found on beach," 13 June 2018
Find ways to celebrate with him in Milwaukee's southwest suburbs in this week's Get-Out Guide.

— hannah kirby, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Where to celebrate Father's Day in Milwaukee's southwest suburbs," 11 June 2018
In 2003, the Florida Department of Transportation looked specifically at southwest Miami-Dade and found that once road improvements were made in the congested area, development quickly followed.

— jenny staletovich, miamiherald, "It was once part of the Everglades. Now Miami-Dade wants to use it for a highway," 8 June 2018
The wine is Bergerac, an appellation in the Périgord region of southwest France, just east of Bordeaux.

— mike dunne, sacbee, "A French wine mystery: Where's the Bergerac?," 6 June 2018
Looking at the aerial images, Stott and his colleagues discovered fragments of another aqueduct flowing into the city's southwest quarter, which would probably have supplied a rock cistern there.

— kiona n. smith, Ars Technica, "Decades of aerial photos reveal how an ancient desert city got its water," 30 May 2018
In southwest Indiana, Republicans will choose between Greg Pence, the brother of Vice President Mike Pence, and economist Jonathan Lamb in a congressional primary to replace Mr. Messer.

— reid j. epstein, WSJ, "GOP Primaries Put Trump at the Center," 7 May 2018