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
Northwest : 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
Category 1 Hurricane Isaias is 45 miles east-northeast of Pensacola, Florida and 65 miles northwest of Panama City, Florida. — Miami Herald Hurricane Bot, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026 This fall festival is roughly 30 minutes northwest of downtown Kansas City. — Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2026
Adjective
Also on Weekend Update, James Austin Johnson portrayed a selfish Kevin O’Leary, the Shark Tank investor who is backing a massive data center campus in northwest Utah. — William Vaillancourt, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2026 The federal government is planning to airdrop more than 500,000 tiny packages that smell like fish across northwest Georgia in the next few weeks in an ongoing effort to protect the state's residents. — Dan Raby, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026
Noun
Saturday, in particular, looks blustery, with highs only in the upper 50s and a gusty northwest wind. — Bill Kelly, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026 One to two inches of rain are forecast for Charlotte, and 2 to 4 inches to the west and northwest of the city, according to the latest National Hurricane Center rainfall probability map for Isaias. — Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 10 Oct. 2026 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

Phrases Containing northwest

Rhymes for northwest

See All Rhymes for northwest

Browse Nearby Words

northwards
northwest
North West
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Northwest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/northwest. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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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)

More from Merriam-Webster on northwest

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about northwest

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