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
Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2024
Fort Leonard Wood is about 140 miles southwest of St. Louis.
—Michelle Watson, CNN, 1 Nov. 2024
Stephen Engelberg, ProPublica, 5 Nov. 2024
Democrats move to flip East End blue While Republicans are hoping to gain ground in the southwest, Democrats are honing in on Louisville's East End.
—Eleanor McCrary, The Courier-Journal, 4 Nov. 2024
Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 5 Nov. 2024
Republicans hope to turn more of southwest Louisville red
In 2022, Republicans flipped two seats in Louisville's southwest corner from blue to red, with Dan Seum Jr. and Khalil Batshon defeating two Democratic incumbents, Mark Fox and Amy Holton Stewart.
—Eleanor McCrary, The Courier-Journal, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for southwest 
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Adverb
The township is about 27 miles southwest of Chicago.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2024
Fort Leonard Wood is about 140 miles southwest of St. Louis.
—Michelle Watson, CNN, 1 Nov. 2024
Noun
What ProPublica Reporters Will Be Watching on Election Day
Our data analysis showed that the number of migrants crossing the southwest border into the United States was not vastly higher than in other periods of history.
—Stephen Engelberg, ProPublica, 5 Nov. 2024
Democrats move to flip East End blue While Republicans are hoping to gain ground in the southwest, Democrats are honing in on Louisville's East End.
—Eleanor McCrary, The Courier-Journal, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
Brennan said tornadoes were possible in the southwest corner of Florida, including the Keys, starting Wednesday morning and spanning through the afternoon.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 5 Nov. 2024
Republicans hope to turn more of southwest Louisville red
In 2022, Republicans flipped two seats in Louisville's southwest corner from blue to red, with Dan Seum Jr. and Khalil Batshon defeating two Democratic incumbents, Mark Fox and Amy Holton Stewart.
—Eleanor McCrary, The Courier-Journal, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for southwest
Dictionary Entries Near southwest
Cite this Entry
“Southwest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/southwest. Accessed 22 Nov. 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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