northwest

1 of 3

adverb

north·​west nȯrth-ˈwest How to pronounce northwest (audio)
nautical
nȯr-ˈwest How to pronounce northwest (audio)
: to, toward, or in the northwest

northwest

2 of 3

adjective

1
: coming from the northwest
a northwest wind
2
: situated toward or at the northwest
the northwest corner

northwest

3 of 3

noun

1
a
: the general direction between north and west
b
: the point midway between the north and west compass points
2
capitalized : regions or countries lying to the northwest of a specified or implied point of orientation

Examples of northwest in a Sentence

Adverb It's about 80 miles northwest of here. I headed northwest on Route 1. Adjective the northwest corner of the building Noun A mountain range is in the northwest of the country. We traveled throughout the Northwest.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adverb
Route 383 serves two nearby Park & Rides: North Lamar Transit Center and Pavilion Park & Ride. Route 392 will operate on its regular schedule and drop off just northwest of the stadium. Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 24 July 2025 The incident occurred just before 9 a.m. in Demarest, about 20 miles northwest of Midtown Manhattan. Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 23 July 2025
Adjective
Located in the Veranda, Grandstand upper level, northwest section Galaxy Groove: An American pale ale infused with tropical flavors from the Australian hop Galaxy. Jess Fleming, Twin Cities, 18 July 2025 For example, my testing in northwest Los Angeles went very well. Brooke Crothers, Forbes.com, 17 July 2025
Noun
Ventura is about a 70-mile drive northwest from Los Angeles. Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 24 July 2025 Allentown is about a 60-mile drive northwest from Philadelphia. Kate Linderman, Miami Herald, 24 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for northwest

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of northwest was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Northwest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/northwest. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

northwest

1 of 3 adverb
north·​west nȯrth-ˈwest How to pronounce northwest (audio)
nautical
nȯr-ˈwest How to pronounce northwest (audio)
: to or toward the northwest

northwest

2 of 3 noun
1
: the direction between north and west
2
capitalized : the regions or countries northwest of a point that is mentioned or understood

northwest

3 of 3 adjective
1
: coming from the northwest
a northwest wind
2
: placed or lying toward or at the northwest
the northwest corner

Geographical Definition

North West

geographical name

variants or Noordwes
ˌnȯrd-ˈwes How to pronounce North West (audio)
ˌnȯrt-
province of the northern part of the Republic of South Africa bordering Botswana area 44,861 square miles (116,190 square kilometers), population 3,509,953

More from Merriam-Webster on northwest

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