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
Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Feb. 2025
Firefighters quickly got the upper hand on the Kenneth Fire, which erupted Thursday afternoon near West Hills northwest of Los Angeles.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2025
CBS News, 5 Feb. 2025
Once upon a time, Ohtani was in Sasaki’s shoes: a generational talent from Japan’s rural northwest Iwate prefecture, making the jump to MLB at 23 years old, trying to decipher which club would be best for the start of his big-league career.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 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 land is near South County Line Road and Farm to Market Road 407, about 20 miles northwest of Alliance.
—Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Feb. 2025
Firefighters quickly got the upper hand on the Kenneth Fire, which erupted Thursday afternoon near West Hills northwest of Los Angeles.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2025
Adjective
Before a wildfire ravaged their street in northwest Altadena, Louise Hamlin and Chris Wilson lived next door to each other in nearly identical houses.
—CBS News, 5 Feb. 2025
Once upon a time, Ohtani was in Sasaki’s shoes: a generational talent from Japan’s rural northwest Iwate prefecture, making the jump to MLB at 23 years old, trying to decipher which club would be best for the start of his big-league career.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 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 10 Feb. 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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