1
: coming from the northwest
a northwest wind
2
: situated toward or at the northwest
the northwest corner
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
Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2025
Twenty minutes later, his iPad and his Apple Watch last showed him near Mount Jefferson, which is around 50 miles northeast of Tonopah and 281 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 22 Jan. 2025
Megan Forrester, ABC News, 24 Jan. 2025
The shooting happened at about 1:20 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22, at a home in northwest Houston, HPD Lt. R. Willkens said in a news briefing shared by KHOU.
—Mitchell Willetts, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Jan. 2025
Simone Jasper, Charlotte Observer, 27 Jan. 2025
Dothan is about a 100-mile drive northwest from Tallahassee, Florida.
—Natalie Demaree, Miami Herald, 27 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for northwest 
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Adverb
The Hughes fire erupted Wednesday in an area 45 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles and scorched more than 8,000 acres that day.
—Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2025
Twenty minutes later, his iPad and his Apple Watch last showed him near Mount Jefferson, which is around 50 miles northeast of Tonopah and 281 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
After Éowyn barrels through on Friday and early Saturday, a series of additional storms are expected to arrive in northwest Europe, bringing more wet and windy weather on Sunday and continuing into the beginning of next week, according to the Met Office.
—Megan Forrester, ABC News, 24 Jan. 2025
The shooting happened at about 1:20 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22, at a home in northwest Houston, HPD Lt. R. Willkens said in a news briefing shared by KHOU.
—Mitchell Willetts, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Jan. 2025
Noun
The shelter is in the Hickory area, a roughly 50-mile drive northwest from Charlotte.
—Simone Jasper, Charlotte Observer, 27 Jan. 2025
Dothan is about a 100-mile drive northwest from Tallahassee, Florida.
—Natalie Demaree, Miami Herald, 27 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for northwest
Dictionary Entries Near northwest
Cite this Entry
“Northwest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/northwest. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
northwest
1 of 3 adverb
north·west
nȯrth-ˈwest 
nautical
nȯr-ˈwest
: to or toward the northwest
northwest
2 of 3 noun1
: 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 adjective1
: 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
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
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