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

The car was shipped to Arizona first where it was bought by the person who owns it now and lives in Lake Crystal, Minnesota, which is about 95 miles southwest of Minneapolis. —Jamie L. Lareau, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2025

These are the first three of the 10 commandments splashed across bathrooms and breakrooms at Epic Systems’ sprawling 1,670-acre campus in Verona, Wisconsin, just southwest of Madison. —Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 16 Aug. 2025

Noun

Grand Junction is in western Colorado and is about a 245-mile drive southwest from Denver. —Julia Marnin, Sacbee.com, 18 Aug. 2025

Joliet is a roughly 40-mile drive southwest from Chicago. —Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 17 Aug. 2025

Adjective

The Great Outdoors Plan A Beach Day With its prime location on Florida's southwest coast, every trip to Bonita Springs should start with a day at Bonita Beach. —Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 3 Aug. 2025

Severe storms could also stretch into southeast Colorado and southwest Kansas, bringing damaging winds, large hail and the possibility of tornadoes. —Kyle Reiman, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2025

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