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.
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
Tariq Panja, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024
This county is in Yunnan Province, about 2,000 miles southwest of Beijing, and along the border with Myanmar.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2024
Hope for Haiti, a nonprofit that provides aid throughout the country, operates a clinic in Les Cayes, about 125 miles southwest from Port-au-Prince.
—Fredlyn Pierre Louis, NBC News, 16 Apr. 2024
This small Michigan town is located about 30 miles southwest of Copper Harbor at the very tip of Keweenaw Peninsula, famed for its rugged beauty and Lake Superior shores.
—Katy Spratte Joyce, Travel + Leisure, 16 Apr. 2024
Another landmark worth adding to your list of must-dos is the Mission San Xavier del Bac, which is located about 10 miles southwest of the city.
—Chadner Navarro, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Apr. 2024
There’ll be plenty of places to dine and drink at the Vigo County resort, about 70 miles southwest of downtown Indianapolis.
—The Indianapolis Star, 3 Apr. 2024
The accident happened near Rushville, about 230 miles southwest of Chicago and 57 miles northwest of the state capital of Springfield.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024
Now, she’s been sentenced but avoided prison time recommended by prosecutors after the theft ended at the Lava Bluff mobile home park in Hurricane, about 300 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, court records show.
—Julia Marnin, Sacramento Bee, 9 Apr. 2024
Katie Polglase, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
Light winds are mainly from the southwest at five to 10 mph.
—Matt Rogers, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
Hundreds of cities in 13 states are along the path of totality for the eclipse, which will move across North America from southwest to northeast.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
The 2024 Great American solar eclipse is coming Monday as the moon blocks the sun's light from the southwest to northeast corners of the country.
—Jordyn Noennig, Journal Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2024
To honor his achievements, the US Board on Geographic Names approved the naming of a glacier southwest of McMurdo Station, the main research base on Antarctica, after him.
—David Kushner, WIRED, 4 Apr. 2024
But southwest of Lake Okeechobee, lows should be near 60.
—Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2024
During Lent, Simone prepares a weekly fish dinner smothered in a creamy sauce with a distinct hint of nutmeg, at her home in Issy-les-Moulineaux, a suburb southwest of the city.
—Shane Mitchell, Saveur, 28 Mar. 2024
Hundreds of cities in 13 states are on the path of totality for this year's total solar eclipse, which will pass from southwest to northeast across North America.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2024
Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 9 Apr. 2024
Michigan is also home to several dark sky parks, including the T.K. Lawless Park in the southwest corner of the state, Headlands Park in the northern Lower Peninsula, and the Keweenaw Dark Sky Park at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula in the Upper Peninsula.
—Detroit Free Press, 8 Apr. 2024
Cherry Ave Garage has access to the stadium through the southwest corner.
—The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2024
Visitors can walk right up to the traffic circle at the southwest corner of Central Park.
—Kayla Keegan, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
The incident coincided with the reentry of the ISS pallet, which plummeted through the atmosphere on the same day over the Gulf of Mexico, ultimately heading toward southwest Florida.
—Passant Rabie / Gizmodo, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024
The high temperature will be near 77, with a southwest wind of 10 to 14 mph.
—The Courier-Journal, 31 Mar. 2024
Fans entering the southwest entrance can see this banner showing multiple players from the team with World Series champions on the ends.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Mar. 2024
Monday night: There will be showers and possibly a thunderstorm, with a low around 61 and southwest wind around 11 mph.
—The Courier-Journal, 31 Mar. 2024
Adverb
The roughly two dozen positive tests involving Chinese swimmers were collected at a New Year’s event held over four days in December 2020 and January 2021 in Shijiazhuang, a provincial city of about 11 million people a few hours southwest of Beijing.
—Tariq Panja, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024
This county is in Yunnan Province, about 2,000 miles southwest of Beijing, and along the border with Myanmar.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2024
Hope for Haiti, a nonprofit that provides aid throughout the country, operates a clinic in Les Cayes, about 125 miles southwest from Port-au-Prince.
—Fredlyn Pierre Louis, NBC News, 16 Apr. 2024
This small Michigan town is located about 30 miles southwest of Copper Harbor at the very tip of Keweenaw Peninsula, famed for its rugged beauty and Lake Superior shores.
—Katy Spratte Joyce, Travel + Leisure, 16 Apr. 2024
Another landmark worth adding to your list of must-dos is the Mission San Xavier del Bac, which is located about 10 miles southwest of the city.
—Chadner Navarro, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Apr. 2024
There’ll be plenty of places to dine and drink at the Vigo County resort, about 70 miles southwest of downtown Indianapolis.
—The Indianapolis Star, 3 Apr. 2024
The accident happened near Rushville, about 230 miles southwest of Chicago and 57 miles northwest of the state capital of Springfield.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024
Now, she’s been sentenced but avoided prison time recommended by prosecutors after the theft ended at the Lava Bluff mobile home park in Hurricane, about 300 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, court records show.
—Julia Marnin, Sacramento Bee, 9 Apr. 2024
Noun
Another video from a separate location along Al Rashid Street, released by Al Jazeera, also shows horizontal tracer rounds, likely originating from the southwest, traveling left to right as a huge crowd gathers around the trucks.
—Katie Polglase, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
Light winds are mainly from the southwest at five to 10 mph.
—Matt Rogers, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
Hundreds of cities in 13 states are along the path of totality for the eclipse, which will move across North America from southwest to northeast.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
The 2024 Great American solar eclipse is coming Monday as the moon blocks the sun's light from the southwest to northeast corners of the country.
—Jordyn Noennig, Journal Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2024
To honor his achievements, the US Board on Geographic Names approved the naming of a glacier southwest of McMurdo Station, the main research base on Antarctica, after him.
—David Kushner, WIRED, 4 Apr. 2024
But southwest of Lake Okeechobee, lows should be near 60.
—Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2024
During Lent, Simone prepares a weekly fish dinner smothered in a creamy sauce with a distinct hint of nutmeg, at her home in Issy-les-Moulineaux, a suburb southwest of the city.
—Shane Mitchell, Saveur, 28 Mar. 2024
Hundreds of cities in 13 states are on the path of totality for this year's total solar eclipse, which will pass from southwest to northeast across North America.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2024
Adjective
The southwest corners of the intersections will be reconstructed with new curbs, curb ramps and signal equipment.
—Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 9 Apr. 2024
Michigan is also home to several dark sky parks, including the T.K. Lawless Park in the southwest corner of the state, Headlands Park in the northern Lower Peninsula, and the Keweenaw Dark Sky Park at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula in the Upper Peninsula.
—Detroit Free Press, 8 Apr. 2024
Cherry Ave Garage has access to the stadium through the southwest corner.
—The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2024
Visitors can walk right up to the traffic circle at the southwest corner of Central Park.
—Kayla Keegan, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
The incident coincided with the reentry of the ISS pallet, which plummeted through the atmosphere on the same day over the Gulf of Mexico, ultimately heading toward southwest Florida.
—Passant Rabie / Gizmodo, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024
The high temperature will be near 77, with a southwest wind of 10 to 14 mph.
—The Courier-Journal, 31 Mar. 2024
Fans entering the southwest entrance can see this banner showing multiple players from the team with World Series champions on the ends.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Mar. 2024
Monday night: There will be showers and possibly a thunderstorm, with a low around 61 and southwest wind around 11 mph.
—The Courier-Journal, 31 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'southwest.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near southwest
Cite this Entry
“Southwest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/southwest. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
southwest
1 of 3 adverb
south·west
sau̇th-ˈwest 
nautical sau̇-ˈwest
: to or toward the southwest
southwest
2 of 3 noun1
: the direction between south and west
2
capitalized
: regions or countries southwest of a point that is mentioned or understood
southwest
3 of 3 adjective1
: coming from the southwest
a southwest wind
2
: situated toward or at the southwest
the southwest corner
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