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

Hayam El Gamal and her five children, ages 5 to 18, had spent 10 months at the Dilley Family Detention Center, which is less than 80 miles southwest of San Antonio. —Saul Pink, San Antonio Express-News, 25 Apr. 2026

An isolated island in the Atlantic, Madeira is located some 300 miles north of the Canary Islands and roughly 600 miles southwest of Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. —Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026

Noun

The crime scene is about a 105-mile drive southwest from downtown Raleigh. —Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 17 Apr. 2026

The stop was prompted by a line of storms that was heading toward the Twin Cities from the southwest, WCCO Meteorologist Adam Del Rosso said. —Wcco Staff, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026

Adjective

Steube, whose southwest Florida constituents could benefit from the provision deducting personal casualty losses, has vowed to push the law forward. —ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026

The Alsip Planning and Zoning Commission is set to consider this week whether BEDS Plus, a southwest suburban nonprofit focused on supporting homeless people, should expand into the village with a supportive housing apartment complex. —Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 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