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 third-deadliest coal mine disaster in United States history — the Cherry Mine fire in Cherry, Illinois, a town of 500 about 90 miles southwest of Chicago — killed 259 men and boys. — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 13 Nov. 2026

The ship is expected to sink in about 180 feet of water, roughly 25 miles southwest of Destin, Florida. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 11 Nov. 2026

Noun

This was in contrast with the first two seasons of the show, which were filmed in Chichagof Island, west of Juneau, and Little Duncan Bay, southwest of Petersburg, in Alaska. — Peter White, Deadline, 10 Nov. 2026

Expect mainly cloudy skies Monday with a slim chance of showers across the metroplex (10%) and better chances southwest (20%). — Damien Lodes, CBS News, 10 Nov. 2026

Adjective

Wednesday the action moves just slightly southwest, with the dedication event at the Troubadour in the afternoon and the Gram Parsons salute at the venerable club in the evening. — Chris Willman, Variety, 10 Nov. 2026

Developers want to transform a more than seven-acre shopping center on the southwest corner of Preston Road and Royal Lane that was decimated by a 2019 tornado, proposing an $800 million redevelopment with high-rise buildings. — CBS News, 10 Nov. 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